


Paint My Roses Blue

by ibeta



Series: Scenarios [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff and Humor, King Papyrus, M/M, Papyrus in... Lingerie?, Red Queen - Freeform, Sans In A Dress, Sans in Lingerie, Sans is Queen, white queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-01-10 22:32:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12309213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibeta/pseuds/ibeta
Summary: Sans wakes up to the most literal and punny land in the world. Not only did he own a large room, but… he’s also a queen. Papyrus is king. He knows he should remember reading a story like this, but he sort of… forgot. Everything should be recognizable, but not really. Still, it was a nice place, and at night there were stars in the sky, and at sunrise everything blossomed so beautifully.Now, if only the bread-and-butterfly stopped plunging into its death in his teacup in the mornings, that would be really great!(And if he would only stop waking up to discover his indecent clothes, it would be better.)





	1. waking up to lingerie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silverryu25](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverryu25/gifts).



> For the Dragon of Moons ♥

It was a nice day outside. The birds were singing. The flowers were blooming… and they harmonized with the song-and-dance-birds quite pleasantly, too. On days like these, little bread-and-butterflies fluttered about with their buttered toast wings, avoiding the sunrise-flowers by nestling into the buttercups.

And, sometimes, they liked taking a nosedive into an unsuspecting teacup, splashing into their cause of death.

Across the courtyard, their white horses’ manes were dyed with the caretaker’s paint brush. It was blue, this time. The last time, it had been… yellow. Before that, it had been orange. Originally, they came as red-painted, from the Queen of Hearts, the Red Queen’s side of the… country. It was… strange.

He didn’t know how he came to this place. One day, he was sleeping in his sentry station, keeping one socket open for a human, and then the next he was waking up in a large bed, with Papyrus, inside a room befitting royalty.

A… a _near_ -naked Papyrus. He’d been dressed in some scandalous pair of sheer shorts that had Sans scrambling away and falling on the other side of the bed, bringing with him the blankets and exposing even more of his brother’s bones. The noise Sans made woke up his confused brother, and had brought attention to the… _clothes_ … that _Sans_ had been wearing… (If he had been wearing much at all for it to be called _clothes._ )

It had been even more scandalous than Papyrus’s clothing, that’s for sure, and once his brother had seen him and his state of dress, Papyrus had stammered nonsensical words and then apologized profusely for looking at him, and then he looked elsewhere with so much force that his bones rattled with tension, skull a bright orange with magic.

Sans had never been in a more _mortifying_ situation in his life. And he may have had averted his eyes in time, but he could never forget the image of those lewd shorts. It was unbelievable, and unforgettable, and completely out of character, and… and – and—

‘ _stars, please just forget about it_.’

He fought a flush that threatened to expose his inappropriate thoughts. He sat back on the windowsill, clutching his blanket closer, covering what bones he managed to fit beneath. He woke up in the same outfit as the one from the first day in this... weird world. A literal world, sometimes, and a punny one, too. The castle had the strangest of literal rooms, sometimes.

The room he and his brother woke up to had been luxurious in its furniture, the walls so white it barely had a stain. The canopy of… their… bed had a curtain of white.

Actually, _everything_ had been white, with the exception for the lingerie that covered his bare bones. It was a _thing_ of black and blue that _bare_ ly offered a decent amount of modesty, with little ruffles and cutesy ribbons and lacy edges. The garter belt had been a surprise, of course, but not as stupefying as the stockings attached to it. The underwear was equally sheer, and it didn’t leave anything to the imagination. Pubic crest exposed by sheer fabric along with his _symphisis_ , a pair of boney areas that a skeleton kept private for more than one reason. (Sans’ was sensitive. So, _so_ _sensitive_. In the magical sense.)

Hiding under the blanket was a great idea.

Papyrus still had not met his eyes for days after the first day. It was driving him _crazy_.

They had found the walk-in closet, avoiding each other’s eyes, and then dressed up in whatever they could find. The only ones that fit Sans well had been dresses, but he had skipped those and stole the ones that fit his brother. He didn’t want to offend the lady who might own them.

Once dressed, they left the room, and outside they had been greeted by... chess-piece servants. They weren’t monsters, from what Sans could discern from their SOUL, but they were something else that HAD a different SOUL, so it mattered not that they weren’t monsters.

It had been a shock to him that they were held monarchs in this place. Papyrus was recognized as the king. _Sans_ was _queen_. The dresses were actually his, even the crown, the little coronets, and the tiaras, and… the circlets. All of the jewelry a queen could want.

And for whatever reason, there were also card-shaped servants that adored the two of them, following them around like the chess-piece knights and… and… _and_ it all went crazier from there.

Monsters from the Underground were there in the world, and they, too, had woken up to this strange land. Sans would have thought they’d raged or protest or even be confused.

They hadn’t cared in the least. Sans had wanted to scream at each and every one of them. Tell them this wasn’t _their_ world. No, this place… it was _different_.

When the sun peaked at the horizon of their new dwelling, they cheered and celebrated and the not-monsters prepared a grand celebration under Papyrus’s excited request. They thought they were on the Surface. They thought they were _free_.

Sans had already seen the Surface in a past timeline, and this place was _not_ the Surface. Even so, the monsters settled in peace, and Tori had asked _them_ for permission to build a school. Asgore had followed after, asking to be a gardener near the school because _they_ owned the acres and acres of land, and, according to the song-birds that could sing more than a hundred different songs, they owned the sky and the sea and the parts that belonged to the White Side of the Board. The not-monsters deferred to them, as strange as it was, and the monsters had followed suit ( _hah_!), despite being confused by their surroundings.

(He hadn’t wanted to know who owned the Black Side of the Board, but Papyrus had asked, and apparently there was a queen that beheaded hardened criminals on that side of the board. Papyrus’s face had drained of magic, and sweat had gathered on his skull, but he smiled nervously and said the neighbouring kingdom had interesting rumours.

Sans’s first action as the queen had been to write up new laws and rules and everything official, until everyone could safely live a life without criminal acts. He hadn’t needed to stare down the lawmakers. They accepted it on their own.

They had acres of land. Within a day and the help of the new world’s strangely potent magic, they grew orchards of fruits and vegetables and other edible flora. Monsters and not-monsters were free to take food they need. Monster-grown food was edible and filling to anyone that could consume it, and it had mixed well with the not-monsters’ diet.

Judging by the many satisfied people that went home, it was a success.)

The following week had been days of adjusting to their new world. There were days he had woken up and thought it was a dream… but not so much when he saw Papyrus. It didn’t help that they both woke up in the same bed, and that, while Papyrus’s outfits stayed on (whatever he wore to bed that he found in the mysterious closet of underthings), Sans woke up in different sets of lingerie each day. And no matter how many times he tried to sleep in a different room in the castle, or wore simple dresses to bed, he _still_ woke up beside Papyrus wearing the most ridiculous set of scandalous clothing.

The day he woke up with a large slit on his underwear, he, in his mortified shame, had told ( _begged_ ) Papyrus to get something modest and decent from his side of the closet while he hid under the blankets and tried not to suffer a panic attack.

Papyrus had come back with his face bright with magic, handed him a pair that didn’t have a slit on the underside, and quietly told him that the others weren’t so decent. As he was saying this, Papyrus had not met his eyes.

If the sheer fabric of the lacy panties wasn’t indecent, then he didn’t want to know what else Papyrus discovered in his sock drawer.

A knock came from the door, snapping him out of his embarrassing recollections. He planted his feet back onto the carpet, and then crossed the room, opening the large door. A female (or female-printed) card of Spade greeted him happily. She might not have the fancy armour of the knight-cards, but she was dressed well.

“Your Majesty, good morning!” she squeaked. “Miss Toriel has arrived! We had her wait in the starry-room, just like you asked us to.”

Sans sighed in relief. Thanks stars it wasn’t the literal tea-room. The bread-and-butterflies never wanted to leave the room when he opened windows. They flocked inside and died. It had shocked him the first time it happened, because they were made of food, and they moved, but they had no SOUL, and it caused him to freak out a little bit.

(And then, of course, Papyrus had entered the tea room, curiously plucked the soaked toast wing from the sea of tea on the floor and everywhere, and he’d taken a bite. And then he’d mentioned how it tasted good.

Sans had nearly choked on his biscuit in alarm, and his dress met its first experience of crumbs. He hadn’t the heart to tell Papyrus that he’d eaten something that had been _moving_ before it plunged into its death – or ceased its animation.)

“thanks,” he replied. When the card didn’t move or make a sound, he squinted. “uh, dismissed?” That worked with the court cards and the jury creatures, right?

The card left with a _heart_ y and _spade_ y goodbye. Hmm… he liked the sound of that. A spadey goodbye, a speedy goodbye – it was a good pun, if a bit overreaching.

He dragged himself to the closet, and then he rummaged through the sock drawer to find the most decent underwear in the neatly-folded arrangement. He grabbed a pair, and then he picked a dress. He really didn’t mind wearing them. They were comfortable most of the time, and they felt unbelievably good on his bones. He particularly liked the ones that the card maids called a ‘halter’ design, a name that sent them giggling about some hatter that was mad.

The white, satiny dress he picked out exposed the upper back of his ribs, and covered most of his front with beautiful drapes followed by layered ruffles of more white and then a black tulle skirt. The seamstress had said it was a long gown, and it was, because the petticoat, thick as it was, allowed the skirt to slightly lift off the ground, leaving only an inch of space.

He couldn’t see his flat pair of bejeweled white shoes when he used his blaster’s eyes to check the lacework on his back.

It made him feel beautiful, and really sophisticated, even if he wasn’t supposed to be. He wasn’t one to dress up, but wearing the… dresses had managed to boost his self-esteem by a point. Otherwise, clothes were clothes, and they were _skeletons_. It shouldn’t matter, but it _did_.

He grabbed a hooded coat on his way out, which, incidentally, was _also_ white, and had the design of a circle-with-wings that vaguely reminded him of the Underground Delta symbol. He missed his normal hoodie, most especially the pockets. It was a good replacement, but nothing beat the fluffy weight of his jacket and the hidden pockets that could carry ketchup and allow him to fake his death.

Checking up on his attire, he nodded.

He looked definitely queenly. For Sans, that is.


	2. queen-talk with the old queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “and they call me the white queen…”
> 
> As if he wasn't pale enough.

The starry room was a fascinating place. The air was dark, like space, but if anyone was inside the room, stars appeared, glowing orbs of light that bore no heat. Most of anything in the room, because it was a room for… eating, was edible. Wisps of nebulae acted like clothing or fruity cotton-candy, and anything could be furniture as long as someone didn’t take a bite. The stars had tasted… well, he couldn’t really describe it.

It was indescribable. The physics in this world was strange.

He found Tori sitting on a star of the constellation of Cancer in the starry-room, sipping tea from a half-and-hollowed moon teacup. She wore some simple dress that was greatly similar to the one she wore in the Underground, but the clothing lacked the Delta rune that denoted her being part of royalty.

“hey, tori,” he greeted. She looked up with a beaming smile, waving the thick fingers of her paws in greeting. “sorry to rush you out of school. i needed a friend.”

“It’s no matter that can’t be solved with extra time with the children,” she said happily, taking another sip of her tea. Sans smiled wryly. “They’re truly excited for the first day of classes! Even the older ones want to come and learn. Why, the people in Underland are such _wondrous_ people!”

“well, no _wunder_ , that. they live in a place called underland, after all.” Sans paused, listening to her guffawing. “is that what they call this place? it’s not even like the _underground_.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve asked all those that are not monsterkind. They act as though we have been here the entire time, and that we act as though we just came here. They have so many stories to tell, and oh! Oh, you’ll love the creatures they have here! They have a snap-dragon-fly and a rocking-horse-fly!”

He couldn’t help but burst with laughter at her recounting, and the way her eyes brightened so excitedly. She was so easy to please, and it was refreshing to hear her voice sound like this. He’d heard her cry before, and he never wanted his friend to feel like that again.

Sans sat on another star in front of her. He grabbed a floating scone comet and started nibbling on the food while Tori began retelling parts of her week that made her unbelievably joyous.

He found that the card-people were from the Black Side of the Board.

“what are they doing here, then?” Wouldn’t it be better if they were on the other side, serving the other queen?

“Oh, Sans,” Tori sighed, wiping her muzzle with a colourful nebula fabric. It amazed Sans how strange and wonderful this place was, with its strange magic and selective physics. “They said the Red Queen sent them here because they were innocent. They said their queen wanted them away, but also so they could protect the White Queen.”

Sans straightened in his seat. _What_? “is there anything dangerous in this place?” he asked in a low voice. “tori, that would be... the monsters just got here. we don’t need a problem right now.”

“Oh, no,” Tori insisted, shaking her head. She accidentally knocked away a star in doing so. “They said the Red Queen just wanted them away so they wouldn’t have to deal with the crimes in the Black Side of the Board. I think she wanted them to be protected, though. I would have done the same thing.”

Sans relaxed, but then he started thinking about the other side of the board. “it’s dangerous on the other side,” he said out loud. “crime and murders. this side of the board seems much more nicer than the black side.”

Although… if they were here, who served the queen on the other side? Who would protect the Red Queen if they were sending off their servants and courtiers and knights and royal families to this side of the Board? A twinge of compassion filled his soul. He understood someone who would send their people away to protect them. Stars know what Sans would have done if he couldn’t protect Papyrus and the other monsters. This queen had a kingdom to protect, and they sent their people to safety. How many creatures would be left?

“Well… I suppose any place, no matter how amazing, would always have a darker side of things.”

“it’s a balance,” Sans agreed, smiling at her. She returned it. “say, do you have any idea how… or why… i’m the queen here?” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “ _tibia_ honest, i thought it would be you. you’re the queen in the underground. that, and the queen of _moms_ ters.”

Tori smiled sadly. “I may have been the queen of the Underground, but I have not been very queenly, have I? I’ve abandoned my post long ago.” She placed the teacup on another star, where it floated at her side. “That’s what I have been wondering as well, and I have noticed things.”

Well, that sounded promising. “what things?”

“I’ve thought hard concerning the positions we have in this land. I woke up in a lovely cottage by the woods of Somewhere, and I had a beautiful garden in the back. My room had a lovely library, and everything in the cottage smelled like…” Tori visibly swallowed, glancing away, “…a family home. When I left the cottage to investigate, these creatures greeted me as their teacher, although they sometimes called me their mother. They brought me to a small house, where I have, apparently, been teaching anyone who wanted to learn about many things. It had been a dream of mine to teach young children after I left Asgore. I think that may have had a hand in my placing in this world.”

“so does that mean i wanted to be queen?” Sans asked in an incredulous tone of voice. No, he had never _wanted_ to be queen. Or, at least, he had never thought to be a queen. “i wasn’t dreaming of being a queen, not now and not ever.”

Tori looked contemplative. “Well, my personality matches my job, I suppose. I could warm any place, share a mother’s unconditional love and I can cook quite well.”

“a mother and a teacher.” Sans thought it was fitting. Tori – loving and compassionate monster that loved to teach, but also loved her children. Yes, it matched. But what of Sans? Why was he a queen? “it _suits_ you.” He winked, flashing a cheeky smile.

Tori beamed at him. She obviously caught on to the joke. “As such, I also thought… what if that is your personality, too? The culmination of a monster’s SOUL is their whole being, and if I am a mother and a teacher, then perhaps you are recognized as a queen in this world.”

Sans didn’t think that was the point, but it was a good theory. “so everything that’s me… is a queen?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have thought you a pawn when you joked with me in the Underground. I thought you were a sentry, just like you said.”

“and that our powers reflect our…” Oh. Stars. No, that was… that was entirely too revealing. A chessboard queen was a queen with many moves. Did he represent that kind of queen?

The Underground Queen looked thoughtfully at him. He didn’t fidget or become nervous. Several resets of the timeline had helped build a thick _skin_ for his persona. Heh.

“They said the White Queen lived backwards in time? Or was it forwards in time? It was something to do with time.” She sounded certainly perplexed. If it were Sans, however, he would have probably understood. “They also said the White Queen had many ways to move on the Board, which most of the other chess pieces could not.”

Magic couldn’t have drained faster from his face. “that… wow.” That sounded like his time-space manipulation. He could discern changes in time, and he could take shortcuts through space.

It was right that he was queen. He could do those things and more. But… stars, _why_? And what was _wrong_ with the… clothes?

“And they said that the most powerful in this Board is the White Queen,” Tori added after a moment, grabbing a scomet and munching down. Sans fought the instinct to sweat with nervousness. Was he the strongest in this land? What about Asgore? What about that freaky flower? Or that god form of the late prince? “On the other Board, it is the Red Queen...”

“and they call me the white queen…” What was the significance of the names? Did it have any meaning to them at all?

She slyly glanced over, though her smile was sheepish. “Honestly, Sans, I may have lost track of whatever they were saying, because creatures here have such contrasting perceptions of reality. It was strange asking a clock-person about time, and then have them replaying what they just said by twisting the knobs of their body counter-clockwise.”

“that’s… uh… unique.” It was weird, but really, what was seconds of change to a timeline-watching monster like him?

“Ah, it is a little strange, I admit, but quite so endearing.” Tori laughed lightly. She lowered her gaze onto another star, humming. “I have asked most of the monsters if their current state in life is what they wished for, and it was. It was a dream they had never thought to pursue, because being in the Underground held them back.”

“then why would papyrus be the king?” he mused out loud. Embarrassment crawled up his neck as he met Tori’s surprised gaze over the teacup. “i would have thought someone else that’s like a king would be the king.” Someone not related to him, maybe? Someone who he wouldn’t care that they won’t meet his eyes for days?

She looked stupefied. “Oh. Oh, yes, that.” Tori’s paws worried over a piece of scomet. “Perhaps because he is the closest one to you in your life?” she suggested. “He is your brother, after all, and you trust and protect him.”

Sans thought about it, and shuddered when he tried imagining someone like Mettaton beside him, as king, and waking up in the different clothes. That would be _horrifying_. Not to mention the kind of drama Mettaton would ask of the people in Underland. Mettaton being king meant disappearing monsters.

“thank stars for that,” he said with heavy relief. Another thought bugged him. “i don’t think i'd want to wake up next to king fluffybuns.”

Her face twisted in distaste. “That would be unfortunate indeed.”

He decided to change the topic. “did you ever try sleeping anywhere else besides your cottage?” he asked quickly, taking a distracted sip of his tea. Did he even like tea? Why was he drinking it?

“Oh, yes.” Her furrowed eyebrows lifted up as she patted down the folds of her dress. “I slept on my desk at the school by accident. Why?”

Ah. So it was only him that kept waking up in the same place he woke up the first day. “did… anything seem strange to you?”

“Not anything that I notice... Sans, is something the matter?”

“i…” He really didn’t know how to say it. The clothes were embarrassing and maybe entirely too revealing, and beside his brother… “i keep waking up in the royal room of the castle, even if i try to sleep somewhere else. the room’s too big, you know? i’m used to small spaces.”

“So you wake in the royal rooms all the time?” Tori looked curious. “Do you think someone is placing you back in your room?”

 _Please, stars, no_. If that was true, then the same person would be changing his… clothes. “i hope not.” He fought a shudder of discomfort. “that wouldn’t explain why i didn’t wake up if they moved me.”

“Then, perhaps you are sleep-walking back to your room!” Tori exclaimed with delight, looking interested in the idea. Sans choked on his tea when she slammed her hands on the star-table like the idea had merit. It was reminiscent of how Undyne would act when she had a good idea. Stars, what is it with him and his brother attracting such expressive friends? “I have read somewhere that humans tend to do so. They come to a place where it is familiar, and if this is the first place you awoke, then perhaps it is your safe place!”

Sans mulled it over. He knew shortcuts, so it wasn’t impossible. He could have dreamed a shortcut. The impossible thing was his state of dress each morning. He supposed that was one impossible thing that he should accept as impossible. Maybe his magic changed his clothes, too.

“i guess that may be it,” he conceded.

“So, have you met some of your people yet? They always look a little _star_ struck when they speak of you.”

Sans grinned. “you don’t want to start with the puns today, tori.”

“Oh?”

“oh yeah, i’ve heard them all ye _star_ day.”

Tori snorted and laughed rowdily. “Now, now, that’s not quite true!”

“what, didn’t you hear? apparently, i have all the time in the world. that means past, present and future.”

They managed to run out of starry puns after two more scones, until Tori began another tangent including tea puns. The punning session ended after Sans choked on his scone from a dirty food pun that Tori had been hiding up her sleeve. After that mishap, Sans taught Tori about star systems and other constellation stories that he could never tell his brother. They exchanged stories from books they’ve read, and Tori found Fluffy Bunny extremely adorable, and according to her, it was such a moving story that it brought tears to her eyes.

He didn’t tell her that there were other stories, because he wanted to keep those Fluffy Bunny stories between him and his brother. Some of them had been improvised heavily. His brother remembered it word-for-word. He’d leave the sharing to Papyrus.

Little taps on the door cut through their conversation. Sans glanced at the door. “uh, come in?”

Tori giggled, and Sans threw her a look.

A card maid peeked from the door. “Your Majesty, you asked me to notify you when it is afternoon,” she said.

Oh. Yes. Right. He was supposed to meet with Papyrus this afternoon. “thanks. uh. hey, what’s your name?”

The face of the card blushed brightly. “Oh, I’m Six, My Queen. Six of Spades.”

Stars, that was… “thanks, six. you can go now.” Who was the one from earlier? How many spades did the first one have...? Wait – it was _Five_ of Spades.

The card beamed happily and shut the door. Sans turned to Tori, who was covering her muzzle with her paw as if trying to stifle her giggles.

“i guess i have to go now,” he said apologetically as he stood. Tori waved her paw like she was brushing away his concerns. “if you’ll excuse me, then?” he asked with wave towards the door.

“I’ll find a _car_ d to take me back,” Tori snickered. Sans sighed and scratched his skull. At least there was one human thing that Tori remembered from her library.

“i’ll walk you out. i’m headed that way.” He could just go around the side of the castle and find Papyrus somewhere in the open grounds near the labyrinthine hedge maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an apparently busy life, so I might be slow in updating long fics (I have some words on TJOS12, but not AMTS because life).
> 
> This is a queen talk. If there's foreshadowing, I have no clue how it got there! :D
> 
> Note in a note: There will be a fic in the future of fontcest. And then kustard.


	3. lift up your regal skirt for papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus wore a regal-looking king attire, which shouldn’t be surprising because that was mostly what they had in their shared closet… regal-looking things with regal-looking designs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lift it up, yo.

He found his brother supervising a Spade painting a horse blue. Papyrus wore a regal-looking king attire, which shouldn’t be surprising because that was mostly what they had in their shared closet… regal-looking things with regal-looking designs.

This one, though, put to shame the clothing that he’d worn when he had been the king of the Underground. He had a pale, golden cape draping from his shoulders. ‘ _satin_ ,’ he thought as the light reflected so beautifully across its surface. His brother’s coat was a light grey with fine, golden embroidery, and his pants were white (as always), and tucked into a pair of black boots. On his hands he wore an elaborate pair of white gloves with a pearlescent sheen.

The attire, while Papyrus made it look great (as always), irked Sans a little.

It was strange not to see Papyrus in contrasting colours. Gone were the bold red and blue and yellow. All that’s left was this… this _pale_ comparison. It suited him, oh, yes, but… but he’d gotten so used to seeing his brother in the battle body that they’ve made together and this was… this was not his brother’s battle body.

He wanted to frown, but that would give his brother the wrong idea.

He should probably try to adjust to the changes now. Tori spoke of the monsters having a better life here, with their wants fulfilled and their needs sated. This was something new, but maybe Papyrus enjoyed dressing up in nice things?

“pap,” he called out, walking faster.

His brother looked up and flushed a bright orange. Immediately, he didn’t look as regal as earlier. Instead, he seemed more like his brother and less of a king. It comforted Sans that he could return his brother back to this state with just his presence.

Sans observed the colour on his brother’s cheekbones appreciatively, a smile blooming on his face. He was glad his brother’s magic could bring colour to his bones, even if his regular outfit was gone… _forever_.

“SANS,” his brother said in what sounded like relief and embarrassment. He stood beside a card that was painting the mane of a regular (he hoped) horse a cobalt shade of blue.

“what’s happening here?” he asked, stepping beside his brother.

“Oh! Y-Your Majesty!” The card sputtered and dropped the paint brush (or a horse brush) back into the can of paint. The horse trotted off, and Sans didn’t have the heart to stop his or her escape. “This is… This is…” The card stared at him with wide eyes, awed. “We are… I am painting the horses blue!”

Sans could see paint drying, and it looked like… hair dye? Maybe? He wasn’t sure. He’d never had hair to dye before.

“i can see that.”

He really could see it. But what meaning did it have? Why were they changing the poor animal’s colouring? Didn’t they want normal horses? Was it some weird royal tradition to paint horses in Underland?

This world ultimately confused him.

“IT IS A REPRESENTATION OF YOU, SANS,” Papyrus said, answering Sans’ unsaid questions, waving a hand at the horse that was already a few feet away. The horse didn’t look bothered by the paint, really. “THEY WANTED TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION OF YOU BY PAINTING THE HORSES IN… YOUR… COLOURS????”

Sans looked up, seeing his brother gaze at him with unreadable expression.

“of me?” he asked, confused. What did he do? He didn’t interact much with the servants. He left that to Papyrus, who endeavoured to provide their people with positivity. That was enough interaction, really.

“YES!” Papyrus sighed. “YOU HAVE CAUGHT THEIR ATTENTION. THE CARDS AND CHESSPIECES LOOK UP TO YOU FOR GUIDANCE!”

“me?!” Sans sputtered, glancing around and hoping that someone would save him from this alarming conversation. “papyrus, i don’t do much!” He slept nearly all day! What had he done?

Papyrus blinked slowly at him, frowning. “SANS,” he said, equally as slow as his blinking, “THE FIRST LAW YOU IMPLEMENTED AS THE QUEEN PROVIDED PEOPLE WITH ACCESSIBLE FOOD! AND AS SUCH, THE TRADING SYSTEM NOW WORKS BETTER! MANY SMITHS IN THE TOWNS ARE ABLE AND FED WITHOUT HAVING TO WASTE RESOURCES! THEY MAKE MORE MATERIALS BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE TO TRADE FOR FOOD!”

Sans gave him an incredulous look. “papyrus,” he began in an exasperated tone. Papyrus stared at him, challenging him with a gaze. Sans met it with a raised browridge. “anyone could have done the same thing. i just rushed it forward. you know how scarce food is in the underground. monsters made sure we had something to eat. we all helped each other.”

“Sans, you have rushed to provide sustenance for everyone, and they feel grateful for this,” his brother said softly. Sans stared at him, and then averted his eyelights, pocketing his hands in his coat. He was blushing. “The cards have told me how, in some years ago, the land was not alive to help plants reproduce. With your quick actions, the land became fertile with magic and it thrives vibrantly with newer selections of food.”

“It is true!” They both glanced at the Spade. Stars, Sans had nearly forgotten the card. “Everyone looks up to Your Majesty, the White Queen. The laws you have set made food accessible for _anyone_. Most especially our kingdom! Hundreds of years ago, a magical drought had struck Underland and the land became infertile. We had to ration the remaining healthy plants. Most of it we gave to the animals and the rest we sectioned off to the people of the lands. Fortunately, we have less people to feed, and a little more food to share.”

Less… people? With the way things were in Underland, they could have harvested anything that flew in the air. The air was rich with magic, even if the land had been a little… _crusty_. They could have… done more to make the population higher.

Sans fought another blush of magic.

“why?” he asked the card, glancing temporarily at the horse. The card stammered, fidgeting like he didn’t want to say. Sans grinned more widely. He was more familiar with this kind of reaction.

“Um…”

“oh boy. is it a secret?” he teased. “you look a little… _flush_ ed.”

“OH MY GOD, SANS,” Papyrus groaned, swiping a hand down his face as if warding the pun away. Sans snickered at his brother’s exasperation. He couldn’t help it, really. “I CAN’T BELIEVE I THOUGHT THE CARDS WOULD BE SAFE FROM YOUR PUNS!”

However, instead of laughing or complaining, the card started crying loudly, shocking him and his brother into silence.

That…

That really wasn’t his intention.

Oh boy.

“Your… Your Majesty,” the card sobbed. Sans’ sockets widened with alarm. Beside him, Papyrus made a weary sound. “You even have the same s-sense of humour!”

Someone had the same sense of humour as him? Was it Tori?

“OH DEAR GODS,” Papyrus whispered loudly. Sans winced at the not-so subtle volume. “NOW… UHM… SANS…??? I DON’T T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” his brother exclaimed, frantically gesturing to the sobbing card.

Sans panicked a little when the card knelt on the ground. He ignored whatever etiquette queens had and crouched beside – he glanced at the card – Seven of Spades. “hey, buddy,” he said quickly, “i’m sorry if i hurt your feelings with my joke—”

“T-that is not it, Your Majesty! It was indeed a great joke!” Seven cried out apologetically, wiping his tears with fruitless effort. Sans frowned softly, and then he rubbed the card’s back. “I j-just miss the Red Queen! P-puns were the Red Queen’s favourite, and… The Red Queen had us play this strange game of cards… a-and hearing you say the same words my Queen had said, it just…”

“OH, SEVEN,” Papyrus uttered sympathetically.

“i’m sorry, buddy,” Sans murmured, lowering his voice to a much more comforting rumble. He could only imagine how much Seven missed his queen. To be sent away, powerless to protect someone important to him. He would be a little more than distraught if he was separated from his brother (and boy, he does know that feeling quite well). He hadn’t the heart to tell Tori, because, well, Papyrus… He was Sans’ heart, and skeletons don’t normally have those.

His brother knelt down beside him, giving a reassuring squeeze on his arm while his other hand lay on the card’s shoulder. “I’M SURE THE RED QUEEN MISSES YOU TOO,” he said comfortingly.

Good brother. Sans could work with that line of thought.

“do you want to take a break?” he asked much more lightly. Cards needed breaks, right? They get tired too. _Break_ ing down like this wasn’t healthy. “you can have a nap in the courtyard.  that’s the best place with lots of sunlight. or, if you’re hungry, i’m sure the cook can get you some food.”

“IF THEY DO NOT, I SHALL COOK YOU MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI,” Papyrus affirmed, causing the card to stutter that he shouldn’t, that he couldn’t accept. Sans wasn’t sure if it sounded more like a favour or a threat. “AND, YOU DO NOT NEED TO CONTINUE ON WITH YOUR DUTIES TODAY IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO.”

The card shook his head. “N-no, I… I’ll be fine, Your Majesties! I… I just…” he stammered. “I will be fine! I… This is a singular moment! I… I would not want to bother you with my tears, I’m quite certain Your Majesties have a demanding schedule already and… and…”

“IT IS FINE TO BE SAD SOMETIMES, SEVEN,” his brother said soothingly. Sans glanced at his brother appreciatively, smiling at the determined expression on his face. He was glad his brother was here. He wouldn’t know what to do otherwise. “WE HAVE ALL MISSED SOMEONE IN OUR LIVES. I AM QUITE SURE YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS.”

“yeah, buddy.” He’d heard enough stilted conversations about the Red Queen. Sometimes the cards cried a little, or sounded so sad when they talked of their queen. “the other cards also miss the red queen. you’re not alone.”

Papyrus brightened. Sans prayed that he had an idea how to make the card be a little happier. “IF WE CANNOT HELP YOU WITH THIS, PERHAPS TAKE COMFORT WITH YOUR FELLOW CARDS! FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE A GOOD SYSTEM OF SUPPORT!”

Seven sniffled, nodding. He looked a little better already.

“maybe you should find them now,” Sans suggested. His brother had really great ideas, really. What had he been thinking? The cards were more like his brother – social, hard-working and absurdly loyal to friends. “you look like you need someone who also misses the red queen.”

“O-okay,” Seven said quietly, still not making a move. Right. Hard-working.

“take a break. i mean it,” he said firmly, narrowing his sockets. He could feel his brother’s stare burning the side of his cheekbone. He rarely used this tone.

The card nodded eagerly, as if trying to appease him. That wouldn’t do at all.

“i can’t have you working when you’re not at a hundred percent efficiency,” he added sharply, striking straight to the playing card’s pride.

Instead of looking intimidated, the card only looked even more relieved and comforted. And really, what did that say of the other queen?

“Y-yes, o-of course, Your Majesty! You are correct!”

Both he and his brother helped the card up, and then they watched as the card straightened, bowed, and then started walking back to the castle. The blue horse trotted after the card and bumbled after it with comforting little neighs. It heartened Sans to see it. It was sort of cute that the horses and the cards got along so well.

Papyrus said lowly, “THAT WAS KIND OF YOU, SANS.” There was something in his expression that seemed curiously pleased. And, he _sounded_ pleased, too.

Sans blushed as he looked to the ground. “heh.” He’d kick some of the grass if it weren’t for his fancy shoes. He really needed to get the tailors to make him something he could wear for a normal day.

“YOU TRULY HELPED HIM FEEL BETTER!” his brother added happily.

He scratched the back of his skull and said half-heartedly, “it was nothing, pap. he just needed a break.” That was one weird-looking piece of grass. “he works too much like the other cards.” He’d be tired if he were any of them.

He really didn’t do anything to help, really. He just said some words, and Papyrus helped the most.

 “STILL,” Papyrus insisted, stepping closer. Their proximity caused Sans to swallow whatever words he could remember. Warmth emanated between them, their magic greeting each other familiarly. He could feel Papyrus’ magic seeping into his bones, tangling with his clothing, and he could see the way it curled around his brother like a pleased little beast. “IT MUST HAVE MADE SEVEN’S DAY.”

There was a still silence, until Sans burst out in laughter, followed by Papyrus’ moan of regret.

“NO, NO, NO! I DID NOT JUST – WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO ME? I CANNOT BELIEVE MY OWN MOUTH IS DISLOYAL TO ME!”

“oh my god, papyrus,” he gasped, clutching his ribs as the tension between them faded away. “i think you just made _my_ day. that was completely out of nowhere!”

Papyrus harrumphed and crossed his arms, and if he had lips he would probably be pouting. “I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT IT WAS A COMPLETE _ACCIDENT_!” Papyrus asserted, full of bravado. “WHICH MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN _YOUR_ ACCIDENTAL PUNS!” he added quickly with blushing cheekbones.

 _Stars_ , his brother was too cute for his own good, sometimes.

“well, that’s one way to add salt to my _injury_ ,” Sans snorted, giggling. “you want to take this to court? an in _jury_ like this is serious.”

“OH MY GOD, STOP!” Papyrus exclaimed with a pained groan. Sans’ chuckles petered off, his face a bright blue with his magic. “PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE DONE LAUGHING,” his brother pleaded.

“i’m done, but don’t think i’ll ever let you live this down.”

Papyrus let out a noise of frustration and stomped away, Sans followed him, hiking up his skirt and coat so he could chase Papyrus’ longer strides. Topic done, then.

“so, what’s up?” he asked as he took twice the steps to match his pace. He really wasn’t as social in this place, fearing that he would get too attached. He didn’t want to suddenly wake up in the Underground with the recollection of the freedom of this place. It wasn’t wise.

His brother beamed forward, looking really excited. He seemed really happy about being excited, if that was even possible.

“I HAVE MET WITH THE PEOPLE AND THEY HAVE ONLY KIND WORDS TO SAY TO US! IT IS AS THOUGH WE HAVE SIMPLY SLIPPED INTO THE ROLES WITHOUT THEIR KNOWING.”

“maybe we replaced some of the monsters here,” Sans suggested. That had been his idea in the first place. Maybe his body had switched with someone who was another Sans, and _that_ Sans could be in Snowdin right now.

He felt guilty about it. If Papyrus had replaced another Papyrus… that would be bad.

“WELL, I HAVE YET TO ASK THEM HOW THEY KNOW US. PERHAPS TOMORROW I WILL GO SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS…”

“ask any of them if—” Sans stopped himself, embarrassed. If he were anyone else, maybe it would work, but… it was embarrassing enough as it is. “well, if whatever’s happening to me is happening to them, then i guess they would be pretty reluctant to speak up…” he muttered under his breath.

“OH. I… I SEE!” Papyrus wasn’t looking at him, but Sans could see the magic gather on his cheekbones. Papyrus cleared his intangible throat. “I SHALL INQUIRE SUBTLY, BROTHER. YOU MAY RELY ON ME FOR THAT.”

Sans fought a flustered blush and smiled instead. His brother was so _sweet_. It was really endearing, really. He had such a cool brother.

“thanks, bro,” he replied tenderly. His brother wouldn’t have told anyone what was happening to him. Not even Undyne. “do you know anything else that might be weird? missing people? extra people?”

His brother perked up.

Oh boy. So there was someone missing, or extra people.

“WELL, I HAVE MET WITH UNDYNE EARLIER AND SHE SAID THE TOWNSPEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR THE CHESHIRE CAAA—!” Papyrus squeaked as he turned and nearly tripped on his feet in his haste to get away from him.

Well.

That reaction seemed a little extreme.

Sans paused. “bro, you okay?”

Papyrus gaped at him from far away.

Did he do something wrong? He glanced around him, trying to see what mystery item scared his brother away, but he found nothing. “papyrus?” he asked, unsure.

His brother snapped out of it.

“OH MY GOD, SANS!!!” Papyrus sputtered and turned away, hands slapping over his sockets, face bright with magic. “PUT DOWN YOUR SKIRT! THAT’S INDECENT! WE’RE IN PUBLIC!” He sounded mortified. He couldn’t read much from Papyrus’ expression when he covered it, but it was probably somewhere along the lines of, ‘SOMEONE COVER SANS WITH A BLANKET AND LOCK HIM SOMEWHERE HE CAN’T EMBARRASS HIMSELF!!!’

Sans remembered the mornings where he woke up with even more indecent clothing. Compared to that, this was barely indecent. Although, anyone could have seen him flashing his tibia and fibula and maybe a little bit of his femur, so it _might_ be a little indecent, even if it was all bones. Still, some of the petticoat hid most of his bones, right? Maybe his brother was exaggerating again…

Papyrus tore off his cape and threw it at Sans. The clothing landed on his skull, which, _conveniently_ , also covered all of him and anything that was exposed, except for a small part which allowed Sans to watch his brother’s panic.

“QUICK, COVER YOURSELF BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE SEES YOU!”

He probably wasn’t even looking, if he hadn’t noticed how efficiently he’d accidentally covered Sans with his quick reflexes.

“i think it’s too late for that,” he responded wryly. Oh gods, this was awkward. He should have stayed in bed, where he could have avoided things like this.

His brother screeched, “IT IS _NOT_ TOO LATE TO GET CLOTHED!!!”

Sans flushed in further embarrassment. “bro…”

“GET DRESSED!” Papyrus added, squirming where he stood.

Anyone could have heard his brother and thought – and _thought_ they were doing _things_ in public. It wouldn’t matter that they were brothers, because _they were the King and the Queen_. The Underland creatures hadn’t even batted an eyelash at their brotherly bond, so it was probably a normal thing for kings and queens to be related.

As if proving him right, a pawn squeaked from a shrub and ran back to the castle. Sans closed his sockets and prayed that it won’t spread rumours. The rumours would kill him. And he would _dust_. Oh stars, it would be the last rumour he would hear and he would die from embarrassment.

“also,” Sans hated that he had to say it, “i think everyone in the castle heard you.”

“ _NYEH!_ ”

-

The rumours, by some fortunate twist of fate, ended up being entirely too innocent.

The White King had taken a fall from a horse while displaying his horse riding skills to the White Queen. The Queen had knelt to the ground beside the King and tended on his injuries. Upon reflecting that they were in public, the King mentioned that it would be simply proper to take such healing in their rooms so they wouldn’t worry their people.

(If the decks of cards and chess pieces were acting too smug of their reputation, well, Sans just praised them for doing such a _wonderful_ job. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know that he knew the sweetest of rumours they spread around.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! :D Completely done without a beta, because I beta my works. *wink wink* Mistakes all mine. See one? Point it out and stab me with it.


	4. the sleepy moon and its stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “oh boy.” 
> 
> “Oh dear,” his brother replied meekly.
> 
> He was exposed.

Sans slowly woke up to moonlight casting shadows from behind the large curtains of the royal room. He propped himself on his elbow, swung his legs on the side of the bed and shakily stood up, afraid that he would be dressed in something even more… _lewd_.

He glanced down and sighed in relief. He had another clothing change, and this time it was better. The white robe tied on his torso may be short, but it covered enough that it was semi-decent. (It covered the important parts of his pelvis, yet not enough to cover his entire femur.) He still had scandalous underthings, of course, something like a camisole and another pair of panties – still black and blue and grey in colour, still lacy and ruffled and sheer.

At least it was a little more decent than the slit-panties. Now, _that_ was the most vulgar thing he’d discovered on his body.

He turned back to the bed and found his brother sleeping, his face buried into a pillow and his hand gripping the blankets close to his body. He was dressed in an elegant pajama, just as embroidered as his coat from two days ago. It wasn’t white this time, but a silvery-blue. It looked good on him.

They never owned clothes like this. Clothing was sacred in the Underground, not because it was scarce, but monsters got so attached to their clothes that it also dusted when they died. Made of magic, it disappeared with the monster that was attached to it. Just like… just like when Pap—

He gritted his teeth, and then he forcefully released the tension in his bones. It didn’t matter. They weren’t in the Underground anymore. Or at least, they weren’t back in the Underground _yet_.

And as much as he wanted to crawl back into bed and doze even more, he doubted he could sleep when the temptation of watching the starry skies called to him. He didn’t want… What if this was all just a dream?

He crossed the room and reached for the curtains, stepping out onto the balcony. The night was cool, and the moon was full. He felt a soft breeze brush over his clothes and he shivered, looking up.

His breath hitched and he stared, eyelights wide at the beauty of the sky. He has never seen the full force of such a beautiful night sky until now. Human cities had ruined the view with their light pollution, and compared to Underland’s poor light source, the skies here appeared to have millions and millions of visible stars. He could see clouds – no, something colourful… was it a nebula? There were shades of so many colours. He recognized the constellations, but how could it be so accurate when they weren’t on Earth?

Did the creatures of Underland ever step out to watch the night sky? Did they take for granted what beautiful night it was? Did they appreciate what wonders they had in their world?

He glanced over his bones, admiring the colour from the moonlight. It made his bones look like a special kind of ivory and silver, something platinum in shade, but something much more ethereal. It felt like his bones had dried up with words, that the skies had taken his breath away. He couldn’t stop looking at the sky and glancing around, seeing the kingdom without the full influence of the sun, just a reflection of it by the moon.

He wondered idly if this was what the Surface would look like if there was less light, but then he shook his head. He didn’t want to think of the Surface now. Underland was… wonderful. People and creatures alike lived in harmony. They had less discrimination than the Surface. Here, human and sentient creatures grew and lived together. They were used to uniqueness and ‘muchness’. They accepted and valued differences, knowing it coloured the world with much more meaning. And, it out-punned him every day with the strange creatures he kept discovering (they had bone-and-rattlesnakes, for crying out loud).

He didn’t know how long he stared at the stars, but he knew of his shortness of breath and how his bones felt unusually sensitive. His pupils were blown with delight and pleasure, misty wisps of his magic trailing light as he swayed where he stood. He just wanted to stare at the night sky forever. The morning sky was beautiful, but not as elaborate as the night sky. Clouds were clouds, of course, but the _stars_ … _Oh_ … The stars at night… they were a sight to behold.

He wanted – he wanted… to lie down on the balcony, and bathe under the moonlight. He wanted a bed under the stars, maybe a little nest. Something about the night sky made him feel so connected with—

“Sans?”

Sans jumped and whirled around, one hand on his chest in surprise and one hand shot outward as he saw Papyrus’ face peeking from the curtain. He lowered his outstretched hand and extinguished the magical buildup. Wisps of magical light faded from his eyelights and his hand.

‘ _star-damned peaceful world,_ ’ he cursed in his head. He should have been more aware of his surroundings! What was wrong with him? Was he starting to get lenient in this world that he’d lose his hyperawareness?

“papyrus, you startled me,” he whispered, straining to calm his magic to show he hadn’t been frightened.

Papyrus gazed at him, blinking slowly, unafraid. He shook his head and stepped away from the curtains to stand beside him. “Why are you awake?” he asked quietly, as though asking for a secret.

Sans looked at him, and then looked at how the moon bathed him in such an otherworldly light. He swallowed and averted his eyes.

Papyrus waited patiently for his answer, so he hummed and shrugged.

“i wanted to watch the sky,” he answered guiltily, even though he knew he shouldn’t feel guilty. He hunched his shoulders anyway, tucking his hands in the pockets of his tiny robe like he’d done something wrong, like he’d been discovered doing something illegal, like he’d been seen with his heart on his sleeve (when he hadn’t wanted it to be seen in the first place).

Papyrus’ distal phalanges stroked his cheek, and then his jaw, and Sans shuddered at the tender touch that prodded his gaze back towards Papyrus. His expression was soft, understanding, like he knew how much Sans loved the sky, and how much he never wanted to part from it, like he knew he was afraid that it would all just be a dream and—

“I like watching the birds fly,” Papyrus blurted out. Sans blinked at him, and Papyrus’ touch relocated to his scapula, and then to his humerus, half-hugging Sans with his arm behind him. “I… I watch the horses disappear into the edges of the woods.”

Oh. _Space_. Papyrus was talking about the abundant space, like the open skies and the fields and the other towns. They had space in the Underground, but not _this_ kind, where they could see nearly everywhere from their balcony, or from one of the watchtowers. There was so much land, and so much of the sky, and so much of everything.

“i… i really love watching the stars,” he confessed, stepping close until their sides were a hairsbreadth from brushing. Papyrus’ gaze flickered over him, and there was a soft blush of magic that developed on his face. Sans smiled shyly, placing a hand over the one that rested on his humerus. “when the moon is full, i… i look around to see what everything looks like under the moonlight, and… and sometimes, i wonder if this is a dream, and if i’d wake up back in the underground when i’m falling asleep—”

He stopped talking as soon as Papyrus tucked him into a hug. He pulled his other hand out of his pocket and hugged back, not even minding one bit as another breeze toyed with the edges of his robe.

“I… I’m glad that you’re here… with me,” Papyrus murmured on the crown of his skull. “And… I… I find myself not wanting to wake up as well, but when I know you’ll be there as I wake, I feel more certain this is real.”

Sans flushed. He… didn’t know what to say to that.

“m-me too,” he stammered, hands fluttering over the back of his brothers’ kingly pajamas. He also found it a great comfort to know he would wake up beside Papyrus. Stars, he felt so… He wanted to rub his bones on the cloth—

What… what was with the clothing in this place? It was so, so unbelievably _soft_. He felt so comfortable… he felt like he was _home_ – so familiar and predictable in the good, _unconditionally_ fond way. He nuzzled Papyrus’ sternum, breathing in his scent.

Or… maybe it was because of his brother.

Papyrus reacted by cradling the back of his skull, as if encouraging him. He still smelled like pine, and the crispness of cold air, and he could also trace the scent of spices and tomatoes. His sockets closed involuntarily, and he exhaled, incredibly grateful for his presence.

“i’m also glad you’re here, w-with me.” He wouldn’t want anyone else to be his King. Not Asgore or Mettaton, not anyone else. _Only Papyrus._ He was familiar, and kind, and so, so bright. He wasn’t just the King. Papyrus was his _starlight_. He was Sans’ bright little star.

Papyrus pulled away ever so slightly, bringing his face up with a hand cupped delicately on his cheek. Sans pressed into his metacarpals, lifting his lids halfway. He didn’t know what kind of expression he was making, but Papyrus’ blush deepened further.

“Were you having trouble sleeping?” he murmured so lowly, head tilting forwards until their foreheads touched.

Sans nodded. “a-a bit, y-yeah,” he breathed out, concealing his surprise as a flash of orange sparked in his brother’s socket. “just woke up and noticed it was a full moon, so i thought i’d come here to relax before i try to sleep again.”

Something that sounded like a purr rumbled from his ribs as Papyrus’ fingers trailed down the side of his neck. Stars… that felt _good_. It was making him both sleepy and awake. He was moving closer before he knew what he was doing.

“p-papyrus…” he whispered. He clutched the cloth on his brother’s sternum.

“Sans, you look like you’re about to fall asleep.” Papyrus stopped his wandering ministrations. Sans mourned the loss of the nice caressing. “Would you like me to take you to bed?”

 _Oh gods_ , he sounded as if – Stars, under the influence of the moon, he _wanted_ – and Papyrus maybe wanted – but that wasn’t what Papyrus meant, right? That would be so wrong. So, so _wrong_. He shouldn’t have even thought that Papyrus was… was coming onto him, or… _flirting_ with him.

He tucked his head down, weakly expressing, “y-yeah…? s-sure.” He really wasn’t sure what else to say, really. Anything else and he’d probably embarrass himself.

He uttered a small squeak as Papyrus literally swept him off his feet and cradled him in his arms. He wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck firmly, holding on for dear life. His robe fell open, and he watched, mortified beyond belief, as the little string that kept it closed hung on Papyrus’ ulna like a stray piece of spaghetti noodle. He looked up and found that Papyrus looked equally embarrassed, if not more so, since his conjured eyelights looked like probably fall out of its sockets from disbelief.

“oh boy.”  

“Oh dear,” his brother replied meekly, still standing there and with his sockets wide.

He couldn’t help but shield his face under Papyrus’ jaw to hide his embarrassment. Gods, he was uncovered. He was _exposed_. His innocent brother had a full view of his indecency! He reached and grabbed onto the bottom of the camisole, trying to salvage what modesty he could recover, but it only served to expose even more of his sternum and collarbone. He slumped down in trembling defeat, humiliated.

“j-just take us inside, pap,” he pleaded, resigned now to his eternal shame. Any more of this and his soul would start to glow and self-destruct.

“I… I will get us inside, then,” his brother squeaked.

“t-thanks.” After this, he’d find a nice rock to live in. He’d put that rock next to the castle and they would never know. He’d visit Papyrus at nights, and he’d wear all the blankets to bed.

“You— You’re w-welcome,” his brother stammered.

And…

And Papyrus… he wasn’t moving.

_Oh stars, why wasn’t Papyrus moving?_

“ _pap_ ,” he groaned into his brother’s neck. “pap, please start walking. i don’t want anyone to see me like this. think of the rumours they’ll say when they see me wearing thi—”

Papyrus started moving, and Sans just about sighed in relief when they crossed the curtain. He was placed carefully on the centre of their bed. The curtains on Papyrus’ side of the bed untangled from its loosened rope, fluttering shut and cutting off the moon’s rays on their shared desks.

He glanced back to Papyrus, ready to thank him, when he noticed a curious frown on his brother’s face.

He abruptly burrowed the back of his skull deeper into the pillow, digging his fingers onto the sheets, when, instead of moving away, Papyrus climbed the bed to straddle his femurs. His brother loomed near-threateningly over him, making him feel even smaller than he already was.

“pap, what—” he sputtered as Papyrus inspected him critically. Sans nearly hitched up his camisole when he tried to get away, pushing his legs out and trying to scramble back towards the headboard. Sans accidentally exposed more of his ilium and lower ribs when his top snagged on his arm. The little distraction allowed Papyrus to lunge forward.

‘ _shoot!_ ’ Sans shut his sockets and braced himself, trying not to move, and yet he was preparing for a shortcut. Holy stars, what was going on with Papyrus?!

Papyrus took hold of the lower half of his femur, and _oh god_ , it was still too close to his pelvis. What in the world was Papyrus doing?! He yelped when he was pulled down in the same position as before.

“STAY STILL, SANS! LET ME TRY SOMETHING.”

What felt like strong magic bloomed across Sans’ face. No, he wasn’t going to – he wasn’t going to allow that! He lifted his lids, and then nearly crashed his patella on the back of his brother’s ilium when he realized how close Papyrus was.

He started panicking inwardly. ‘ _oh stars. oh stars, oh stars, oh stars—_ ’

He would have asked questions – _oh gods what was that phalange doing_ – and he would have made a joke, and he would have fainted, too, if not for the little string clasped in his brother’s hand. He watched, bones trembling and eyelights extinguished, as his brother took the sides of his robe and folded it shut on his sternum. Then, with little encouragement, he lifted Sans’ torso so he could lie on the string, and then he proceeded to tie it over his ribs.

With a proud grin, his brother patted the little ribbon with the tip of his finger. “THERE YOU GO, BROTHER. GOOD AS NEW! NO ONE WILL SPREAD RUMOURS NOW THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS SEEN TO THIS!” He leaned back, un-straddled him, and went to his side of the bed.

Sans was speechless. “w-what?”

“I JUST WANTED TO HELP YOU, BROTHER! IT SEEMED LIKE YOU NEEDED IT!”

Papyrus yawned sleepily, sockets half-lidded with exhaustion. Sans couldn’t decipher anything suspicious on his face. It wasn’t… It wasn’t as close to what Sans thought. His brother hadn’t been – he hadn’t been—

“Goodnight, Sans,” his brother said sweetly as he shifted the blanket aside and covered them both, as if he hadn’t made his brother think that he was about to be – about to be…

Sans swallowed. “g-goodnight, papyrus,” he choked, blushing heavily as he removed his claws from the sheets. He brought the blanket closer to his sternum, hoping to find a giant rock tomorrow. He averted his eyes and stared at the seams of the blanket.

And then he noticed it.

‘ _oh, god._ ’

Beneath the sheer clothing, his soul was glowing.

He let embarrassment smother his face with magic as he shoved his head underneath his pillow.


	5. it wasn't narnia in that wardrobe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Sans definitely should never be left alone in a room to wander inside a wardrobe and end up somewhere he could get ideas.
> 
>  _Great_ ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * you don't know it yet, but papyrus...

For the next few days, Sans promptly told himself to forget the night of… the _Night_. It worked to an extent. Sometimes he would catch his brother blushing so brightly when they saw each other, and sometimes Sans matched the power of his blush. It was… awkward, and yet not awkward. They were brothers. Embarrassing things like this didn’t last long. Sooner or later, they would have moved on to a different fixation besides their embarrassing moments. Miscommunications and misunderstandings like this usually happened, so it was… normal.

He was right.

Days later, Papyrus found out that the knights trained in the training grounds with swords. It wasn’t monster-made, but Underland-made, which made it more interesting. Weapons in Underland had meaning, had _stories_. Sure, the knight swords had a little history, but the legendary ones? There was a sword that could slay a specific beast… a Jabberwock. From the description they gave him, it seemed like a hybrid between a dragon, beaver and a fish, and it wore armour of some kind, with buttons.

He didn’t know if they were sentient or not, because the stories end with a headless, dying Jabberwock. The Jabberwock had clothes, so maybe they were… a little bit sentient? He hoped this kingdom didn’t mindlessly kill creatures, like the stories say. He’d hate to see them on his court to be judged.

Papyrus and Tori cheered for the knights, and a pawn bowed beside him to refill their drinks. They’d taken a small table from the castle and sat beside each other on chairs of rosewood – a wooden thing with carved roses, a pun living up to its name.

To help him make sure they were doing well in battle, Sans had brought a blank book with him to list down suggestions.

It turned out to be _absolutely_ necessary. The trainees weren’t up to par. Even _Alphys_ could have bested them in swords, and she’d never carried one before in her life until now, because she was a tinkerer in Underland. All the skill came from her extensive anime knowledge.

She had said something about several years of semi-peace before running off to her workshop. In this world, she was teaching some students to make metal crafts.

Sans cringed each time he spotted physics working against his new knights (chess pieces, humans, creatures… oh stars, they need help). They looked like they were just swinging things around. Even Undyne was looking like she’d never held a sword in her entire life! He knew for a fact that she hated them with a passion, because a sword had gotten her eye injured (she’d strained her magic). But she still joined the melee fighters to boost morale. It was remarkable, but utterly useless.

(To be fair, Undyne trained more for pole arms. A decent mid-range fighter if she wasn’t making her spears fly long-range.)

Stars, what would his father say if he just sat there and watch them bumble about?

“Is it just me, or are they…?” Tori trailed off, sounding unsure.

Sans hated to admit it, but she was right, whatever it was that she was about to say.

“THEY CERTAINLY SEEM…” Papyrus looked like he was searching a whole dictionary in his head for the proper words. Sans wanted to laugh. “UNMOTIVATED…?” Papyrus added uncertainly, like he was confused by the word itself.

Tori laughed so loudly that it made Undyne trip on an upward swing, swearing. “Oh my, Papyrus, that is putting it lightly, but yes!”

“so you say they need motivation?” Sans asked, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms on the table. He eyed the group of knights, wincing. Oh, yeah. They definitely needed some kind of motivation. “what kind of motivation?”

After a moment of silence, Tori made a thoughtful sound. “It seems as though they have never encountered danger before. Perhaps allowing them to fight each other…?”

‘ _stars no!_ ’ he thought immediately. That would lead to an accidental bloodshed. He glanced at his brother, hoping he desperately that he would refute her idea. If Papyrus refused, he would swear to find another way to give the knights the training they need.

Even Papyrus looked pale at her words. “I’M SORRY, MISS TORIEL, BUT I’M AFRAID I WOULD NOT WANT TO WITNESS DEATH SO EARLY IN MY LIFE!”

Sans burst out in inappropriate laughter, and then slapped his hands over his mouth to stifle it. They both looked at him like two puppies. One displeased, and one exceedingly pleased. Only, it seemed Tori were the one that’s displeased, and Papyrus the other one.

If he knew how inappropriate Sans’ laughter was, Papyrus would probably never forgive him.

“that’s okay, papyrus,” he said, grabbing his glass and drinking some of the monster iced-tea. He squinted at the beverage in his hand. ‘ _why is it always tea? do we have nothing else?_ ’ “i’ll find them something else to play with. maybe start with toy swords, not metal death blades.”

He paused, and then took a glance at his notes. He felt a little disappointed, but also understanding. These were just numbers and formulas. They weren’t his and Papyrus’ people, who have SOULs filled with good intentions. These people lived in a peaceful place. There wouldn’t be anyone dangerous for them to battle.

“STILL, IT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO GET THEM MOTIVATED.”

The table jostled as Papyrus stood up, knocking Sans’ elbow by accident. His arm jerked and tea spilled on the front of his dress. The dark stain grew and grew, and so did Sans’ nervousness as he noticed the sudden silence.

“oh stars,” he said with dread. Whoever washed his dresses would dust him.

Immediately, Papyrus was at his side, a handkerchief in his hand as he tried to wipe away the stain. “OH MY GOD, SANS, I AM SO SORRY!” Papyrus said contritely. His hands were shaking. Sans grabbed the hand that was wiping the front of his dress, halting the guilty actions. “I DID NOT NOTICE – I SHOULD HAVE PAID MORE ATTENTION…”

“it’s okay, bro,” he replied calmly. It was an accident. The dress wasn’t that of a big deal. He placed his glass on the table, and then he scooted his chair back, still holding onto Papyrus hand.

“ _BROTHER_ ,” Papyrus murmured guiltily, looking at him with that heart-wrenchingly sad expression that he could never deny. “SANS…”

“try not to let it stain your glove, okay?” He ran his eyelights over the pearlescent gloves, turning it gently. He glanced up and smiled reassuringly. He didn’t think it worked, but it did make his brother blush. “wouldn’t want you to be seen unkempt, right?”

“Oh, Sans, you may have to change quickly,” Tori stated, turning Sans’ attention to her. That was easy for her to say, when she had all the queenly manners between the two of them. She wouldn’t have spilled things on her immaculate purple dress. Not that he minded. But sometimes he wished he had half of her upbringing. “The quicker the dress reaches the cleaners, the faster it will be to remove the stains.”

“got it.” He glanced back at his brother. “you stay here and enjoy the training, papyrus,” he said quietly between the two of them.

“BUT SANS, IT’S MY FAULT…” his brother trailed off, gripping his hand firmly, gazing down at him. Sans wanted to shake it off, remembering that he still had tea stains that could potentially make his brother look like a monstrosi- _tea_.  “I SHOULD COME AND HELP YOU. I WILL CARRY YOUR DRESS TO THE CLEANERS AND HAVE IT CLEANED!”

“bro, it’s not that of an issue. i can do it.” An idea sparked in his mind, and he pulled his brother closer. Papyrus followed obediently, evidently curious. “but, hey, if you really want to help… maybe you can ask them to teach you? they wouldn’t want to disappoint their king, right? that’s a good motivation to give them.”

There was hesitation in Papyrus’ sockets, so Sans softened his gaze into a much more forgiving look. He didn’t mind going to the castle on his own. Papyrus needed to chill out here, in the open, where he could admire the freedom, the large space, and the endless skies. He could drink all the monster tea and eat all the healthy sandwiches. It would be a great idea, really.

“OKAY,” Papyrus replied, as if sensing his manipulations. “BUT COME BACK QUICKLY!” he added, trying to look stern. It really didn't work that well, not when Papyrus looked like he was pouting. “I WILL NOT ABIDE YOUR LAZINESS THIS TIME, BROTHER! YOU WOKE UP SO LATE THIS MORNING!”

Sans chuckled, shrugging. He’d only been trying not to let Papyrus see any more of the morning indecencies. “i getcha. now, go have fun with the knights.”

Papyrus nodded before he called out to a pawn, which hurriedly came to his side. “PLEASE HAVE SOMEONE ESCORT MY BROTHER TO THE CASTLE,” Papyrus requested in a serious tone that had Sans blinking. “HE WILL REQUIRE THE QUICKEST ROUTE POSSIBLE.”

“wait, papyrus,” Sans protested weakly, grasping for an excuse. “i can just walk there. you don’t need to—”

“NONSENSE, SANS!” Papyrus waved dismissively. “I WANT TO DO THIS FOR YOU. THERE MUST BE A SHORTER WAY TO GET TO THE CASTLE. I’M SURE THE PAWNS AND SPADES HAVE AN IDEA!”

Basic Papyrus Manipulation: conviction on skills. It didn’t matter if it was negative, positive or just plain disappointed. Sooner or later, someone would drop everything to give him what he wanted. It only rarely worked with Sans because he knew his brother’s tactics well enough to recognize if he was being manipulated.

Sans flushed as the pawn’s eyes widened with what looked like excitement. “Y-yes, Your Majesty, we do!” he stammered. “R-Right away! SPADES AND PAWNS, WE MUST ATTEND TO THE QUEEN! TO THE CASTLE!”

“oh god,” he said faintly under his breath as he was hurried by spades and a group of pawns towards a team of blue horses. He followed them helplessly, knowing he couldn’t hurt their feelings. He should have run away the first minute the tea spread, and maybe he would have found a secluded place to take a shortcut.

“Please use one of the horses, Your Majesty!” one of the playing cards said. If it wasn’t for Sans’ apprehension, he would have thanked her.

No… No, this was… Oh gods, they had the horse kneel and made Sans sit on the saddle. He gripped the reins tightly, eyelights narrowed into little pinpricks of nerves. He swallowed hard as the other cards and pawns got onto the other horses with obvious skill.

He’d never ridden a horse in his whole life! Not even when he’d gone to the surface. They were majestic creatures and it hadn’t seemed polite to saddle them with his bony self. This was much different than a dragon made of bone constructs!

The mare climbed back onto her feet and Sans yelped as she neighed, like she knew how inexperienced her rider was. Sans nervously ran a hand down her blue mane, trying to soothe her, and pleadingly whispered, “go easy on me, okay?”

As though that was all she had been waiting for, the horse galloped away from the training area with Sans gripping tightly on a part of the saddle and the fancy reins. Thankfully, he had attendants with him, following along to make sure he was doing okay, and that the horse hadn’t bucked him off.

They reached the castle shortly, and Sans was thankful to step away from the horse and be escorted back to his room. Maybe he’d try training on horses on another day, and not days like this, when accidents were at every corner.

He shucked off his clothes, and then rummaged through his and Papyrus’ shared closet. He found a top of a dress, similar to what he’d worn when he met Tori at the starry room. This one was white with little black lining and laces to its satin. It was lacking a skirt – even if the draping cloth could cover much of his femur – as if he needed to attach it as well. Upon closer inspection, it was just like he thought – there was a wardrobe of skirts and petticoats right beside a whole file of dress-tops, along the corsets.

He grabbed the top and shrugged it on, noting how the long drapes made a nice short skirt. He could move better without the hassle of the petticoats and extra skirts. He wished he could dress back into his regular clothes from Snowdin, but he didn’t think anyone could design his old clothes.

As he explored a little more of the closet, he discovered a lot of drawers that contained even more jewelry, and some drawers that had secret compartments with even more lewd unmentionables. To his surprise, there was another door behind some innocuous-looking wardrobe, carefully hidden by a large curtain, tough it didn’t seem like it was hidden on purpose. He quickly stepped inside, curiosity nagging him to enter.

The sight of a small armoury stunned him.

They were clearly tailored for him and Papyrus, each one looking regal, expensive and so elaborately well-made. It was obvious which one was his – he just had to look for the smaller ones.

The smaller ones looked unusually thinner, with much less fabric than he would have thought. One of the armours had silvery-white metal and no cloth for a skirt. Instead, the skirt was made of layers and layers of metal feathers so light that it could have been blown by the wind if it was alone. It seemed like no ceremonial armour, but it had an elaborate right-shoulder pauldron designed with sharp-feathered wings. It had little chains all over it, particularly the mail, on the centre of the breastplate was a diamond – no, a star with wings stretching outward, like it was trying to protect… oh.

Protection. It was a symbol of intimidation, to scare off the enemies. This was armour for war.

He traced down a metal feather, lifting it. The material was light, made out of some metal alloy that offered lightness compared to Papyrus’ armours… This would be great for a monster that had need for speed.

He conjured a sharp-ended bone and tried to pierce through the metal breastplate.

It didn’t work. Scratch marks disappeared the moment it appeared, like it _restored_ the metal’s durability. Armour made of magic. It made him utterly nervous. What would he need armour for? Was it something made for the past?

He lifted it and the little chains slipped off the skirt. He turned it over and around, studying it closely. At the urge of his magic, it slipped over his clothes, buckles adjusting automatically.

It was light, nearly no weight at all. He wondered if it was also caused by magic.

He frowned slightly, and then pushed the armours aside, shaking his head. He left the armour on, too lazy to even bother putting it away when it didn’t even hinder his movements.

Everything continued to be a mystery to this queenly thing.

Behind his side of the armoury was another wardrobe. When Sans opened it, however, he found only emptiness. He stepped inside, not believing for a second that an empty wardrobe would suspiciously be located just right behind an adjoined closet.

He illuminated the room with his magic and light reflected from the back of the wardrobe. A glowing door appeared and cracked open.

Sans didn’t hesitate to nudge it open with his bejeweled shoe.

A familiar empty room opened up to him and he realized what the door was – a shortcut to the gigantic armoury near the throne room, the one that was completely accessible only by him and Papyrus. His brother hadn’t yet the chance to notice it because of his kingly duties, but Sans had time on his hands to wander around and check up on things. Several knights had guarded the room even if they knew no one else could enter but Sans and Papyrus. There had been some magic involved with the whole room's structure. Sans’ magic fitted snugly in the lock.

Sans stepped inside, admiring the high ceilings and the weaponry lined up neatly on the walls. Swords, spears and other sharp things were gathered on tables at the side, leaving an exceedingly large space in the middle of the room. On the south wing of the room, there was a large mural of weapons, and one of them, from what Sans knew of the stories, was the Vorpal sword.

The sword looked wickedly sharp. It was a white, double-edged blade with the Jabberwock-head symbol carved onto the pommel of the blade.

It looked like a dragon.

It gave him an idea.

A really _great_ idea.

He grinned.

Stepping under the chandelier at the centre, he gathered his magic and conjured a familiar construct: his blaster. The gigantic draconian skull hovered above him with a gaping grin and light blue eyes, mists of white magic pouring from its mouth. He twisted it, sharply bringing to life the many bones his blaster needed for a body. Cervical bones took shape – the spine curling to an end for a pelvis and extending into a prehensile tail. Ribs came next, looking delicate and powerful. Jutting bones of its femurs came into existence, followed by the rest of its legs and tipping the ends of its claws with sharp ends. His magic unfurled from its back, giant wings that was longer than its body, thin blue magic for its membrane to help it stay in the air.

When its feet touched the marble floors, the armoury shook, the full weight of the dragon bones nearly denting a crack into it.

It looked like an amazing beast, large and foreboding. Just for aesthetics, Sans carved more sharpness bones, and then, after a second thought, added two more pairs of wings. Nothing was scarier than a dragon with extra wings and sharp fangs, right?

Once his magic completely formed a terrifying dragon that rumbled and shook the room with its happy purr, Sans smiled giddily. Stars, this would be _great_!

“give me a roar, buddy.”

The blaster roared so powerfully that its vibrations caused the swords and spears to fall from where they were hooked on the wall. Sans’ armour somehow stopped tremors from its metal and he laughed.

“that was a great roar, bud!” he praised, and the blaster lowered its head to nuzzle him eagerly, making him stumble in its enthusiasm, its tail shifting left and right with happiness. “whoa! careful there. i’m all delicate bones.”

The skeleton dragon retreated, sitting on its haunches and gazing at him curiously, obviously awaiting more instructions.

Sans couldn’t say what kind of grin he wore on his face, but it had to be near-sinister based on the sudden stillness of his blaster. “say, how about you and i play a game?”

The blaster tilted its head.

Sans chuckled lowly. “it’s called **_motivation_**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * someone will feel like they're about to have a bad time.
> 
> (* your knights are fucked, papyrus.)
> 
> [This chapter feels too fast and empty and I have the urge to take it down and retype everything.]


	6. no need to imagine dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen sends a dragon to help train the new knights.
> 
> He probably should have warned them first... especially his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always nice to introduce new friends to each other! :D

Stepping back into the armoury, he grabbed a shield and a sword tailored to his size from the rack before he headed to his little nook at the watchtower. Once at the tower, he placed the sword on the balustrade and left the shield ground with his book and writing utensils, and then he found a nice spot that overlooked the training grounds.

Adjusting his eyelights to give him a better view, Sans watched the knights training from the balcony of the watch tower, smirking as Papyrus spoke with a knight decorated more elaborately than the others. The trainees lined up in rows, all heads turned to his brother. He could tell they were paying attention to whatever Papyrus said, nodding in time with his brother’s words.

Fortunately, Toriel had probably already left. She wasn’t anywhere on the training grounds.

They were so focused on their regime that they missed so much of the commotion that he made when he’d taken his dragon through a shortcut, landing them in a clearing right near the training grounds. The tall, multi-coloured trees were dense and fully-grown, and no one had seen them despite everything in this world being strange and alive.

He left the dragon there, waiting for the signal to fly over the field.

The trainees scattered at an order, taking up shields this time, and pairing up with each other. They were much more organized, this time, and Sans didn’t need to wonder how his brother did it. His brother was amazing.

They were so oblivious to what was coming. He chuckled lowly, grinning with mischief. He hadn’t ever tried this kind of a prank before, so everything about it was new to him.

Just as Papyrus turned to the castle with a concerned frown, Sans whistled, sending the sound waves through an open shortcut.

His buddy roared loudly from the densely grown trees.

The training came to a sudden stop and nearly everyone turned to the same direction. Sans stole a quick, enhanced glance at his brother.

Papyrus looked concerned.

Uniquely feathered birds flew away from the area, and animals came running from the treeline, turning elsewhere when they saw the training ground filled with other creatures. He could hear the powerful beats of his dragon’s wings, and then he finally saw the dragon peak from the trees, heading towards the training grounds with a grace that didn’t match its mass, completely glowing with magic that disguised its bones.

Sans watched with growing mirth as Papyrus step back, jaw gaping open in surprise. The official knight yelled orders, and the trainees clumsily scampered into a position around his brother. The pawns fled from the training grounds, each one urging everyone to run towards the castle. As they headed closer to his magic, he could gradually understand what they were saying.

His dragon landed before the circle with a powerful blast of air by its wings, bringing forth a dust of dirt and sand in its wake. It roared again once it settled into a lunging form, flaring a small spark of magic in its maw, wisps escaping like smoke from the spaces between its teeth. Using his dragon’s hearing, he heard a tiny whimper of fear.

There was a tense silence, and then one of knights released a rather powerful battle cry, raising his sword towards his dragon. Papyrus stood there looking quite discombobulated, immediately surrounded by more experienced knights. No doubt he knew somewhere deep, _deep_ down that it was Sans’ magic lingering near the creature.

Despite the massive size of the dragon, it was nimble with gravity wings. It dodged swiftly, sliding away from every hit, pushing them farther with its snout and snapping playfully at them with its sharp, sharp fangs. It used both its tail and claws to swipe at the knights, and slowly gathered them towards his brother. His brother didn’t move. He just stared wide-eyed at Sans’ dragon.

When a knight noticed the pattern, he ordered them to spread apart and get the dragon’s attention.

Sans choked on a laugh as a beaver trainee bravely climbed up his dragon’s spine, grabbing on tightly when his dragon tried to shake him off.

The swords were useless after the first few times it bounced away from the thin light blue magic. After that discovery, Papyrus handed the trainees more weapons, starting to look confused as he kept throwing the dragon a look of suspicion. Sans figured he noticed that it wasn’t attacking him at all, or any of the trainees.

The dragon was acting too playful.

It was time to step it up.

Sans leaned over the balcony and yelled as loudly as he could. “ _hey!_ ”

Both the dragon and his brother froze. Sans’ dragon turned his way and swiped every trainee to the ground, and Papyrus scrambled away from Sans’ dragon when it reared back and let out an extremely loud boom of magic, which reached terrifying heights as it pierced the sky.

Sans’ eyelights widened. He had never really taken measure of his blaster’s range, but… That was, probably, one painful death for anyone who got in his dragon’s way.

His dragon made itself look even more menacing, extending its wings upward and emphasizing the sharp, sharp points of its bones with a dramatic swish of a tail.

Sans conjured a bone and waved it. “ _over here, boney!_ ”

His dragon eagerly returned to the air. The trainee on his back slid off, and a bird trainee caught him before he reached the ground. He couldn’t lift him alone, so his other bird friend flew up beside him.

Huh. Teamwork was already happening. That was quick.

“oh dear, whatever shall i do?” he muttered dryly to himself. “ _come and get me, buddy! i’ll give you something to chew on!_ ”

His dragon responded with an eager, keening noise before flying forward.

“IT’S GOING FOR SANS! GET THE ROPES!” Papyrus suddenly yelled. Sans perked up, leaning his elbows back to the balcony and saw the knights surrounding Papyrus break away. Papyrus whistled loudly, and then a pawn came rushing from the weapons table with thick coils of ropes. The pawn came quickly to the official knight’s side. “WE MUST TRAP IT IF IT CANNOT BE AFFECTED BY WEAPONS!”

The dragon turned back with a frustrated growl. Sans suppressed a smile. The knights formed a formation in front of his brother, and then one of them launched a spear with one end of the rope tied around it.

It went right over his dragon. Afterwards, many knights had thrown their weapons over his dragon, and soon they pinned down his whining dragon to the ground.

“strong throw,” he muttered, grabbing his notebook to write it down. “teamwork is effective. creative traps… lack of creativity in the weaponry area… slow to find the weak spot in the mouth…”

“Your Majesty, it doesn’t seem to be doing anything to escape.”

Sans chuckled. Of course, his dragon wouldn’t budge – his dragon was a good pal. It knew orders and responded to his and Papyrus’ magic.

“THAT’S STRANGE…” he heard his brother saying, “THE ROPES SHOULD NOT HAVE WORKED AT ALL IN HOLDING HIM DOWN. WHERE HAD HE COME FROM?”

 _Him_ , Sans mused. Oh, his brother had gotten attached so quickly.

“From the Southern Borders, Your Majesty.”

“THAT PLACE IS NEARLY EMPTY OF WILD LIFE!” his brother sputtered.

His dragon perked up and turned his massive head towards his brother. Using his dragon’s eyelights, Sans witnessed Papyrus’ pensive expression brighten up as his dragon crooned at him.

“HELLO THERE! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?” His dragon grinned, exposing more of his sharp fangs, and then Papyrus’ face twisted into suspicion. “WAIT… THAT SMILE… WAIT A MINUTE… IS THAT—”

Sans grinned. “give him a breath of fresh air, buddy,” he murmured.

His dragon gathered more misted magic in his mouth and blew a rather powerful breeze of magic in his brother’s face, pushing his brother two steps away.

“ _NYEEEH!_ ”

Papyrus’ crown toppled off his head and landed directly into some knight’s hands. His sword followed after. Said knight panicked and dropped the crown as if it was on fire. A pawn jumped for the crown and caught it before it reached the ground, and then handed it back to his brother once he composed himself. Papyrus was glaring at the dragon, attire entirely rumpled.

Sans wheezed out his laughter, clutching a hand over his breastplate. “oh my god, papyrus.”

“ _SANS!”_ Papyrus shouted, turning immediately to the tower. Sans ducked his head sheepishly, but couldn’t stop his grin. “I KNOW THIS IS YOUR WORK! DON’T HIDE YOURSELF BEHIND A DRAGON, YOU LAZYBONES! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AND YOU SENT SOMEONE ELSE TO REPRESENT YOU?”

“well, you see,” Sans said through his dragon’s magic, startling his brother and the knights. “when you said motivation…”

“ _THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!_ ” his brother sputtered indignantly, hands fluttering around with no sense of consistency. The first time Papyrus did this, he’d been trying not to laugh at a joke that Sans made. “THAT WAS CARELESS, DANGEROUS AND, _AND_ —”

“and you’re smiling,” Sans added cheekily.

“ _I AM AND I HATE IT!_ ”

“come on, pap. it worked!” Sans tried to convince him. “no one got hurt and everyone worked together.”

Someone sniffled at the side and blubbered out something that sounded like, “the queen cares for our training so much that a dragon was sent!”

Sans really didn’t want to repeat what else the trainee said. They were strangely reverent of him and Papyrus.

Papyrus flushed with magic and hid his face in his hands. The dragon crooned again, nudging his brother’s shoulder and nearly pushing Papyrus over. “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE FUNNY, DANGEROUS PRANKS LIKE THIS?” his brother complained, all pretences gone. “AND, WHERE ARE YOU?”

“if you wave a hand and glance at the tower, you’ll see me.”

His brother reflexively raised his arm and waved, glancing over. Then he immediately dropped his arm and made a face while Sans giggled.

He would have waved at his brother, but it didn’t happen.

Sans caught sight of a rushing figure at the weapons table, one rabbit monster with a disfigured face, grabbing a sword. He looked angry, wrong. There was something wrong about the rabbit.

The knights and pawns were holding down the ropes, and Papyrus was scolding him through his dragon. They were distracted, unaware of the rabbit.

They didn’t notice the rabbit heading for his brother’s back, sword raised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dragon didn't have an identity until Papyrus gave it one. Now Sans has a male dragon.
> 
> (This is me placing the plot bunny in the fic.)
> 
> (Exams, midterms, transferring of semester, saving up money because of things... There are many excuses, and only a short chapter.)


	7. the queen of hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another player enters the scene.

Sans didn’t have time think.

He snapped straight into a shortcut behind his brother, garnering an expression of temporary bafflement from the rabbit before it morphed into something dark and twisted. The rabbit swung down, and Sans materialized his sword in his hand, SOUL pulsing furiously as their weapons collided with a loud clang, the metals of their blades sparking with the rabbit’s hostile magic. Sans braced against the pressure, feet securely planted on the grass to keep his stance grounded. It was so unfamiliar and familiar, memories of training with Gaster.

Sans knew and didn’t know what he was doing, he could smell the magic rising and rising and _rising_ , and it was so overwhelmingly strong—

_It was his magic._

Suddenly he could see only light and darkness, engaged in a monster FIGHT against the rabbit above him. There were familiar letters floating in the air, but that wasn’t possible. Shouldn’t be possible. It was _impossible_ because only the Underground could simulate a FIGHT like this and it was… it was _terrifying_. Perplexing— _exhilarating_. It meant this world could simulate FIGHTs with other creatures, too, and each one would have to battle in real time instead of waiting for the other monster to attack.

“WHAT WAS THA—”

“ _My King!_ ” a knight yelled.

_Papyrus._

He rammed forward, legs straining from the pressure and shoulders vibrating with tension, the growing flame inside him burning and burning more brightly. There wasn’t time to think, he should focus on—

His brother… _His brother was in danger._ That someone would try on taking his brother’s _life_ like this… _Stars!_ If he had waited even a second to act–!

“back away from the king, **_buddy_**.” He didn’t bother summoning the rabbit’s SOUL. He wanted him to FEEL every inch of his life fading away.

“Don’t get in my way, you little shit!” the rabbit shouted right back, pressing down on his sword. But Sans wouldn’t allow it. He used every force of his magic through his sword and drove the monster back, sending the rabbit flying a few meters away.

The rabbit crashed as a pile of limbs, caused a small indentation on the ground, and yet the monster still managed to hop back on his feet, cackling, mocking, _maddening_ —

Numbers flashed in his vision, announcing to him a healthy damage done, and it was more than a single point.

“ ** _b a c k  a w a y_**.”

His magic manifested in the air, whipping around him with an intensely sharp shade of white, yet he felt calm and collected. His people were moving around, and he knew, without a doubt, that they were surrounding Papyrus like a shield. He could hear and feel the movement in the vibrations from the air, and he could see them through his dragon’s eyes and could scent the air of their familiarity. They were protecting Papyrus, because the Queen was engaged in battle.

Their queen… _his_ magic was unbound, wild and protective, and he would _protect_.

Protect the King. Protect his brother. _Protect_ _Papyrus_. At any cost.

He mustn’t fail.

The rabbit laughed with crazed yellow eyes, spittle flying from his mouth as if he was rabid. He straightened up, ears pointing forward, but it was as though his bones were deformed and a side of his jaw was larger than the other side. His clothes were torn and old, full of loose threads and holes and dirt and disgusting things Sans couldn’t even think about.

(There was _dust_ on his clothes.)

Who was this _monster_? How could he do this? _Why?_ Papyrus had done nothing wrong. They had a good standing with the citizens. They were _peaceful_.

“What’s _wrong_ with you?” the rabbit snarled, when Sans didn’t say anything further, too busy to analyze weak points and sudden movements. “I’m going to be the new king!”

A cold sensation engulfed Sans, sharp and double-edged and dangerous. Magic curled around his hands, between the spaces of his bones, and winding around his phalanges. **_No_. ** He wasn’t going to allow that. He breathed out, letting go of his tense hold on his bones, and a bluish mist of magic escaped his mouth, followed by a more foggy mist from behind him.

His dragon.

He vaguely recalled disjointed memories of fighting and training, though his trainer was a blurry static of a mess, completely unrecognizable. It pained him to remember, just slightly, but it was enough to give him hope to win.

With memories of his past simmering in his mind, Sans delicately picked up his brother’s sword from the ground without losing sight of the rabbit monster, who started to monologue about being the greatest king in the Underland. His father trained him in the past, giving power to a child of the Royal Scientist to help in the court. Sans only needed to keep him away— Keep him talking. Keep him distracted. Keep him from knowing Sans’ plans.

“I can’t believe a fluffy thing like you could ever become the king,” the rabbit spat in his brother’s direction. Sans tensed, hoping his brother didn’t take it to heart. He needed the rabbit to be distracted and frustration was good, but for stars’ sake, couldn’t he have just chosen Sans to trash? “What kind of weakling just gives everyone free food? You’re outta your mind! You’re wastin’ food! Resources! You coulda have it all, but no! You’re feeding little shits that don’t matter! If you can’t even get things right, then I’ll take off your head and take the crown!”

And suddenly his mind flooded with painful memories, bringing with it more thorns to scratch at scabbed wounds that had yet to be completely healed.

_“papyrus, they’re dangerous, i can’t let you—please, papyrus, just don’t do this, i can’t lose you!” Begging, pleading, and hoping he would be heard. But his brother hadn’t listened close to hear his desperation. He’d been preoccupied by his ideals, his belief._

_“I WILL BE OKAY, SANS! THE HUMAN JUST NEEDS SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN THEM, JUST LIKE YOU BELIEVE IN ME! WITH ENCOURAGING WORDS, I AM HOPEFUL THEY WILL STOP!”_

_They’d never listen to him, but Sans hadn’t said it, choking over his tears and pain. “papyrus…”_

_His brother had flashed him a solemn smile. “THAT BEING SAID, IF THEY DO MANAGE TO GO PAST ME, PLEASE HELP EVACUATE THE OTHERS.”_

_His brother was walking to his death. “i-i c-can’t…” he’d said hoarsely. “papyrus, i can’t let you get hurt…”_

_“I WILL BE OKAY!” A lie that Sans knew, but Papyrus never believed him._

_“wait—papyrus!”_

_Papyrus had left before Sans could tell him the child had killed everyone that it met._

_A flash of the cold gaze of a child, and then Papyrus’ skull falling into red gloves, scared and yet still playful—_

Sans drowned in the same agonizing pit of darkness as before, the raw wound split open by the rabbit’s words. He grasped for the present, fingers digging into the pommel of his swords, scratching until his pain turned physical. He grounded himself to this reality, mind full of dizzying memories overlapping and intersecting and generally being nuisances from the past.

He looked deep into the rabbit’s crazed eyes, sending his message across. “ ** _y o u ’ r e  n o t  g o i n g  t o  b e  t h e  k i n g ,_** ” Sans whispered lowly, baring his teeth.

“W—”

Sans sped forward. Their swords met with another sharp shriek of metal and magic as the rabbit raged at him. Without another word, he used his brother’s sword to block one paw with yellow claws swiping for him. Curling magic around his shoes, Sans balanced himself and sent a kick at the rabbit’s torso. The hit landed and the rabbit skidded backwards, the claws of his feet scratching deep into the soil and uprooting grass in its wake.

Specks of dirt landed on his bejeweled shoes, but he didn’t care.

His SOUL felt like a living light, an incandescent supernova of power, and a dangerous spark that could shatter magic to dust. The rabbit was causing a mess in his territory, spreading his disgusting words in the air, trying to harm his brother and endangering the lives of their people…!

Sans didn’t waste time—he moved rapidly through the motions, sending flurries and flurries of quick, measured swings of his swords. It was like gravity—sometimes weightless as air, sometimes heavier than a car falling from space—backing the rabbit elsewhere, forcing him away from his brother as he also evaded hits. His hits caused more lacerations, more bruises, and more ripped clothing. He could spot more of the dust on his clothes, the delirious belief in his eyes and the dirty tricks that the rabbit wanted to do.

The rabbit attempted to be on the defense and not one hit landed on Sans, because Sans knew where he would hit next and Sans was so awake and so aware, and he knew it and he could sense the _magicmagicmagic_ —

“SANS, BEHIND YOU!” came his brother’s panicked shout.

Sans moved only a twist of his wrist, a signal.

Blinding light engulfed the darkness and from the mouth of his dragon, Sans’ magic shrieked behind him, destroying whatever magic the rabbit had conjured. The rabbit screamed again, but Sans was faster, Sans was stronger, and Sans had so much power to _let loose_ and he couldn’t let him go any further because Papyrus was there and he needed to protect Papyrus and Papyrus needed him – and—

The bunny was in the _spot_. Just like Father told him.

“ _now,_ ” he rumbled.

Sans’ dragon let out another shrieking blast, and this time, the rabbit’s ears folded at the side, eyes shut tightly, staggering back and tripping to the ground, sword flying to the side when Sans sent another gravity-coated kick to their sternum.

It was enough.

Sans raised his swords and the rabbit shot up in the air, enclosed in by Sans’ gravitational magic and cyan bones. His dragon roared in agreement, and another gust of wind sent dirt flying into the air. The rabbit struggled frantically in his magic’s grasp like a squirming worm in salt, screaming and shouting and protesting and Sans couldn’t hear anything else but his earlier taunt that he would be the next king.

“that wasn’t nice, buddy,” he murmured softly, catching his prey’s terrified gaze. Sans threaded the swords around his waist with magic, wiping his hands together with a tight, lazy grin. “you shouldn’t have _done_ that. do you know what happens to bunnies that try to attack the king?”

There was no movement, as though the rabbit was paralyzed by fear.

Sans narrowed his sockets ever so slightly. “answer me, please.”

“No,” the rabbit spat, but then back down again when Sans ever so slightly jostled him, ears pulled back and fangs bared.

“well,” Sans said after a short second of being mocked by the rabbit’s expression. “rabbits get a special moment of _time-out_.”

Sans looped his magic around the rabbit’s SOUL and _pulled_.

The sight that greeted him made him feel sick to his bones.

A malformed and cracked monster SOUL was released from the rabbit’s body, mixed with a dark, dark red glow that looked like human blood underneath Sans’ blue magic. It hovered above the rabbit’s chest, pulsing weakly and powerfully at the same time, the Determination twisted and shattered through it. The rabbit started kicking and whimpering and growling, and there was a certain fear, anger and helplessness to his voice.

Sans didn’t care enough about him to be concerned. The rabbit wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He softened his stance, ready but knowing he was secure. He had his knights and he had the rabbit trapped.

“let’s see what we have…”

Sans’ eyelights focused on the bare soul, reading the stats. A seven-LV rabbit monster named Splot.

 _Splot_ …?

…did he just catch a literal S _plot bunny?_ Stars, this world. If he hadn’t just nearly killed his brother, he would have laughed.

“so, splot,” he said casually. There was a flash of a soured expression on the rabbit’s face. Sans offered a strained grin, figuring the rabbit didn’t like his name. “you have two choices. one, you talk, and we can leave you in the dungeons for… hmm.. let’s say about thirty years for attempted murder on the king…” Sans’ eyelights flashed as he added quite curtly, “and me, the queen.”

The rabbit immediately recoiled in shock, maw falling open and exposing more of its rabid spittle. Sans counted it as a victory. It was obvious that the rabbit wasn’t from around here.

“SANS!” Sans blinked and waved a hand over his shoulder, silently asking his brother to wait a little. His brother didn’t say anything else, so he continued.

“two, since your time is already running out, i can give you a permanent _time-out_ … no return, no exchange.”

Those were simple terms, one leading to incarceration and the other leading to permanent death. After all, he wasn’t going to let this rabbit off for nearly murdering his brother. And it wasn’t just for that reason. There was such a deep, hatred emanating from the rabbit in waves, making his magic want to clam up in fear. Sans had fought hard to escape it. If it had reached his brother, he wouldn’t know what he would do. Such intent was… it was harmful. Utterly harmful, even to his loving, confident brother.

The rabbit squirmed in his magic’s hold, glaring furiously, bulged black eyes wide. His paws clawed at the air before Sans, trying to reach him and failing. It made him blink, curious as to why the rabbit wanted to hurt him when it was so obvious he was trapped. “I’m not going grass on anyone for some freak like you—!”

The rabbit screeched as the SOUL was ripped from Sans’ hold. Sans stepped back with wide eyelights, following the speeding SOUL as it rushed through the air and—

He froze as magic filled the field, rich and careful, and _dangerous_.

“No, no, no, no!” The rabbit sobbed. “Give me back my SOUL— _NO_! Don’t let him take it – don’t let him take it!”

There was a hooded figure in the small parting of trees of the Black Forest, blending in with the black and white and red with their burgundy cloak and an entourage of six, black-armoured cards. Glowing red eyes sparked open from the darkness of their hood and Sans couldn’t breathe.

The SOUL landed on their gloved hand, and then carefully placed inside a glass jar that one of their armoured friends (or guard) was holding. A clear jar, set upon a velvet pillow of deep red.

“Please…” the rabbit begged. “Don’t let him take it, please—”

The red figure hadn’t moved any closer or made any threats. His armoured friends didn’t move an inch, making it clear they were there for no other reason than taking the rabbit’s SOUL. “…i’m not really sorry he took it, buddy,” Sans said after a moment of analyzing the situation. Really, if the rabbit was their enemy… it meant that they were allies. Right?

“It’s the Red Queen!” someone gasped from behind him.

“T-THE RED QUEEN?”

Without realizing it, Sans zeroed in on the intricate red heart stitched onto the front of their cloak. He probably should have figured that out. The design on the Red Queen’s cloak resembled his, except the Red Queen’s was… red, and Sans’ clothes were more boring whites and gold.

As if that was all he’d been waiting for, the Red Queen pulled off their hood and Sans was treated to the alarming (and utterly relieving) sight of a sharp-toothed skeleton monster, who wasn’t smiling at all. He looked a lot like Sans, if Sans had red eyelights and fangs for teeth and pupils so narrow.

Sans knew then there was another predator in their midst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the red queen is... Sans...?


	8. first checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ ** _CHECK me._** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sweats* I know I should have been working on the others, but... queens and dresses.

He was only half-aware of the whisperings of his knights behind him, of them advising his brother to observe and remain quiet, because Queens were the ones that bridged connections, and Kings made choices based on their counsel. He could vaguely hear his brother murmur his agreement, and then the words were lost to him when his focus fully narrowed at the Red Queen.

The Red Queen… He was a skeleton monster. Sans’ magic faltered at the thought, and then tightened when he felt the rabbit struggle harder, whining and whimpering and shrieking to be let go. Sans ignored him.

He didn’t dare take his gaze away from the Red Queen. From the shape of the skull to the bridge of his nose, the other skeleton looked like him. There was a subtle flush of red magic on the other skeleton’s face, so different from Sans’ magical reactions. His teeth were sharp, like it was _filed_ , but he didn’t look uncomfortable when it was shut. He wasn’t smiling, but if he did… maybe they would look even more different from each other. There were darker shadows under the other skeleton’s sockets, and he was frowning more than he was keeping his face neutral. He was expressive.

The Red Queen observed him back, eyelights keen and calculating, but even from this distance Sans saw the tenseness to his shoulders, despite the cloak hiding most of his body. The Red Queen was surprised, and that was obvious with the way his sockets slowly widened, mouth parting. The other skeleton’s gaze went from him, to the rabbit, and then back to him, without saying a word.

Sans felt sweat gather on his skull as he fully turned to face the other queen. The remains of his diplomacy knowledge fled him.

The Red Queen abruptly snapped out of it, whatever he’d been thinking about. There was something careful in his gaze now, something familiar, as though looking at a mirror… and seeing a monster with walls so high it could touch the Underground’s ceiling. He wasn’t glancing at anywhere else, focused solely on Sans. It made Sans uneasy.

However, just as he was about to call out a greeting, the other skeleton’s eyelights flashed a deep, dark blue. Integrity echoed into the field, and Sans’ sockets nearly closed as he strained to analyze the magic, searching for a reason to give this new monster a chance to prove himself.

No threat. Just pure intentions, despite the untamed magic. Untamed, but controlled.

Sans offered a sign of faith, flashing a vivid shade of yellow through his eyelights. The Red Queen flinched, but appeared… less tense.

The other skeleton stepped forward, and then Sans felt the world whisper something in the wind, something that sounded as if… it was telling him someone important was on his side of the Board. The Red Queen moved closer, and closer, until he was standing some feet away, making Sans fidget their proximity. One wrong move and he could dust.

Then the Red Queen’s cloak moved – no, he was reaching his hands out and – Sans swallowed hard – and _he spoke in hands_ , movement stilted. Sans’ doubts lost importance.

“ ** _are you the white queen?_** ” the hand movements conveyed and the magic whispered with **_static_** through the air. It doused Sans’ spine with a jolt of shock.

Sans inhaled shakily, anxiously. A full sentence spoken in hands, and whispered in his trainer’s—no, his father’s language. It hurt his mind for a moment to think about it. This skeleton… this _other_ skeleton knew his father’s words, when not even Papyrus wanted to learn of it. He didn’t know the queenly protocol for this one.

Could he be… could he be a possible relative?

He couldn’t ask yet. The Red Queen was waiting for an answer… _his_ answer.

He raised his hands, and he noted the Red Queen intently followed the movement with his red eyes. The tremors made Sans’ gestures exaggerated, but he managed to send the right message. “ ** _i’m the white queen,_** ” he replied. A poor execution of the language, but it was sufficient.

Abruptly, the Red Queen’s hands dropped to his sides, and his mouth shut close, sockets wide. Then he lowered his gaze to the ground. Sans tensed, waiting for an action, but the queen did nothing. So Sans did nothing, senses hyperaware that the other queen may possibly become a threat, and yet giving the queen a chance to be near them, to speak with them, to discuss anything of no matter or with matter.

He’d been fooled before; he wasn’t about to be fooled again. Something about their exchange felt painfully important, though he didn’t know why his instincts said so.

After a heavy moment of Sans staring at the pondering skeleton, and the cloaked skeleton staring at the ground, something finally happened.

The Red Queen looked up, almost shyly, expression more open, trustful, and just as fearful. He raised his hands again, and this time, he signed words that Sans didn’t expect.

“ ** _CHECK me._** ”

Did… Did the other monster know he was a Judge? Or was this some flirting line that only occurred between monarchs? Maybe a chess thing?

Sans prepared himself to CHECK the other monster, but something stopped him. The other skeleton’s expression was… Well, Sans couldn’t quite describe it. There was something fragile about it. Sending the other skeleton a questioning stare, he titled his head, just to make sure that… _he_ was _sure_. The Red Queen blinked, browridge raising and mouth dropping open. Sans waited until he closed his mouth, nodding. He looked more amused now.

Sans took it as his permission, relaxing. So, without further ado, Sans CHECKed the other skeleton.

 **T̷̶h͢͠͝e ̶J̵̢͘ų̵d͢g̷̸̸͜e̸͏͟,** **The Queen of Hearts**  
Sans  
LV 1  
HP 1  
AT 1  
DF 1  
*he’s waiting.

Sans brought a hand to his mouth, his magic drained back into his core, banishing the floating information away. The Red Queen offered him nothing but a curious stare, and Sans didn’t know if the Red Queen knew his identity. When his expression didn’t change, Sans figured not.

It… He… _He_ really was some edgy version of Sans. There was a static blur in one of his titles, but he caught the letters. He was another Judge, but why did it look…?

“ ** _CHECK me,_** ” Sans signed carefully. The Red Queen took a deep breath, and his magic retreat from the field.

He couldn’t feel the CHECK, but Sans caught the moment the _other_ Sans read his name. Whatever magic made his face glow with a healthy blush faded to stark white bones, sockets wide open and eyelights gone in a flash. His attendants immediately shifted on their feet, but they didn’t move to do anything.

“are you okay?” Sans asked, letting the wind carry his question. The other skeleton shook his head, and then lowered it into his hands. Sans’s face fell. He’d known only the other Sans for a few minutes and now the other skeleton was already in a panic because of him.

He stole a glance at his silent captive, and then at the other skeleton, conflicted. He clenched his hand and the rabbit squealed and squirmed and shrieked, but the other skeleton did nothing. He was quiet, lost in some daydream.

Figuring that the other skeleton needed his attention more than the rabbit, he made the rabbit float to where his knights were located and dropped him there. Clangs of metal and vehement protests and deadly reprimands scattered some noise in the clearing, but the other skeleton still didn’t move. He took in the trembling shoulders, the hunched form of the other monster, and then he started walking.

It took him just a handful of seconds to reach the other skeleton, stopping a metre before the Red Queen because the guards had tensed the further and further he came close.

“hey,” he murmured, ducking his head a little closer, now only a metre of distance between them. A guard grabbed the hilt of their sword tightly. “it’s okay.”

“ ** _it’s not,_** ” came the swift and sharp response of his hands. Sans offered a hum of agreement. No, he knew nothing about this situation was _okay_ , but they were alive, and that was… okay.

“you’re alive,” he offered quietly, hoping his words would bring something back to the other skeleton. Something happy, or at least some comfort. He could empathise. He knew exactly how it felt; losing control of the location he wanted to be in wasn’t funny. “i… i think that’s okay.”

The Red Queen finally looked up, scanning his face for something, his expression tired and rough. “ ** _i…_** ” gestured the other skeleton, and then he started chuckling, a lower rumble that caused Sans’ tension to fade little by little. When he finally smiled, it was small but amused, and the colour returned to his face. If someone could smile and laugh like that, then there was still hope somewhere. “ ** _yeah. i… i’m alive, aren’t i?_** ”

Sans smiled back, this time fully taking in the roses-and-hearts design of the other’s cloak and the clasp of a curious red crystal shaped like skeleton hands that made the shape of a monster SOUL. “you grow **_flowers_** on your cloak, so i’d say so.” And he signed so, too.

The other skeleton finally cracked a grin. “heh heh heh. **_tha’s a good one, and you look—_** ” the other’s eyelights dropped down.

The other queen’s face twisted, and then the skeleton made a squeaking noise and his eyelights went back up to Sans’ face faster than he could follow, shocked. Face a deeper shade of red, with his mouth opening and closing.

“ _indecent,_ ” the queen croaked out loud, hands faltering from the air.

A united sound of gasps echoed through the field, and Sans stepped back. No… that wasn’t possible, was it? He was wearing clothes, the last time he took note of himself!

Sans went to look down, but stopped when the other skeleton rushed towards him. Stunned by the movement, he froze. Sans found himself undeniably close to the Red Queen, their sternums touching as the queen hugged him—no, _no_ , his counterpart had one arm stretching the cloak around him, and one hand unbuckling the clasp of his cloak hurriedly, a sense of mortified concern emanating from his magic.

A second later, the Red Queen’s cloak draped around his shoulders, keeping his body hidden. The Red Queen stepped back a safe distance away. Sans couldn’t hide the blush of mortification on his cheekbones when the other skeleton wouldn’t look at his face, a matching blush of red on his bones. He clutched the cloak closer around him, clearing his non-existent throat.

“uh, thanks.”

The other Sans’ gaze flickered back to him, and this time, he had a panicky expression on his face, drops of sweat on his skull. He reached out and clasped his hands on Sans’ shoulders, grimly saying, “yer gotta keep yer ankles hidden.”

“w… what?”

“yer gotta keep yerself _covered_ ,” the other Sans wheezed, and the blush intensified on Sans’ face. Of course… Sans really should have understood his meaning. “ _triple_ the layers, if yer wearin’ a dress. c-corset. some fancy cloak.  make sure the bones are buried fuckin’ _deep_ until no one can see _anything_.”

Then the other Sans pulled away, eyelights darting everywhere else but Sans.

“oh.” He never thought he could ever be embarrassed as he was now.

Then the Red Queen gestured weakly, “ ** _they have cameras here._** ”

Sans ducked his skull at the nervous chastisement, blinking. He knew there were cameras here, but the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. There were other things to worry about.

When the Red Queen dropped his hands, Sans caught sight of what the Red Queen was wearing. Underneath an elaborate coat with a long, ruffled coattail…

‘ _pants,_ ’ he thought numbly. How did the other queen get pants? Was he the only one in this kingdom wearing a dress?

_Was he the only one who woke up in lingerie in bed with his brother?_

“ ** _we have different clothes,_** ” the other Sans signed to him, snapping him out of his daze. He looked up. The queen smirked bitterly, eyelights shadowed. It sent a chill down Sans’ spine. “ ** _it took me months of… stuff, before i finally got sick of it and tracked down the seamstress and tailor. i had them sew me some things and they went wild._**”

It took a while for Sans to get his bearings, to ignore that sense of foreboding, fidgeting with the edges of the cloak. He only had one question to ask, after that.

“ ** _did you ever wake up…?_** ” Sans trailed off with the gesture, hoping he wasn’t the only one.

The other queen’s sockets widened, and the flush of magic returned. He really didn’t have to say anything, his expression spoke volumes. Sans nodded, half-embarrassed and half-unapologetic. He’d gotten used to the wardrobe… sort of. At least, he expected it to be different every night. He could do what the Red Queen had done, as he should have the first time it happened.

Then the Red Queen suddenly tilted his head, eyelights sharply trained on him, like he was looking for something. Equally curious, Sans observed the other queen. He wasn’t that different... Sans had fangs, but nothing compared to the Red Queen’s intimidating set of teeth. Sans had brighter colours, and the other queen wore darker shades of red and a deep black that made his bones look extra pale when he wasn’t blushing.

Although… if there was a copy of him in front of him… could there be…? Sans glanced over the other queen’s shoulder, looking for an edgy copy of his brother. There wasn’t anyone but the queen’s guards, watching them and watching over the soul in the jar. A version of Papyrus wouldn’t have stuck around in a boring castle, would he?

He turned his attention to the other queen, seeing the pensive frown on the queen’s face. He didn’t even hesitate to ask, “where’s your bro?”

The Red Queen’s shoulders stiffened, and his face… he looked so stunned and empty at the same time.

Sans’ soul dropped to wherever his gut could be. No…

“so yer different in that way…” the Red Queen whispered tightly.

Oh, god. Sans’ soul fluttered anxiously, mourning already.

The Red Queen’s Papyrus was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exam Week Begins. Have a chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes mine. Please point it out. Still learning how to write.
> 
> The useless Tumblr that I rarely use: @ibeta.


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